Enigmatic Love
by ExistInspire
Summary: Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site, whenever I get my butt in gear and update it. If you would like to host this fiction or any of my work, please email me with a request.

**Authors Notes:** Over the weekend I was hit with the fiction bug big time, So much in fact that I actually entertained the idea of writing a Randy Orton fiction. It has been pulled down and will never see the light of day again, unless there were people that liked it, then they can tell me. I have since gone back to my comfort zone with this story about Jeff Hardy and a yet to be named WWE Diva. As always with my work, just knowing it is being read is enough, but I will accept any and all reviews that you chose to give. But remember they are not mandatory.

* * *

_God she is beautiful and I bet she doesn't even know just how much._ He thought to himself as he watched her stretching in the hallway, oblivious to any and all people around her who might just be admiring the way she looked.

She might be oblivious to what was going on around her but he wasn't. He admired this woman working out before him. She had long since gotten past the views of the others in the locker room about her and had decided instead that she would show them just what she could do in the ring.

But right now, the ring was the last thing on his mind. All he could think about was what it would be like, could be like if he could get her alone for just a minute and tell her just what capacity he was thinking of her in.

What it would feel like to run his fingers across her face, taking the feel of her skin in, inch by inch. He would be hard pressed to find a flaw on this woman and he had certainly been staring at her for enough weeks to know if there was one.

But she had no idea the way he would stroll out in the middle of the hallway at each and every arena just to see her work out. She had no idea how much he admired her for not giving in to the politics and backstage ramblings and for just remaining to be her.

They were friends, in passing anyway because in some ways, everyone in the locker room these days was, but he couldn't help longing for it to be something more then just the casual relationship they had now.

On more then one occasion he had allowed himself the pleasure of basking in her scent after she had walked by him, craving so much to have that scent wrapped up in his, in more places then just the ring.

He knew it was wrong, to sit here and watch her this way, when she had no idea she was being watched but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. The way even with her hair tied back in a ponytail she still looked as feminine as she could get. With the clothing she wore to the ring, tightly wrapped up in her curves, of which she had many. He had tried to shake her, the way just watching her made him feel but it had fallen on deaf ears. He just couldn't shake it. At least not when he was alone like this and she was just steps from him.

No one knew he did this and if they did he would surely be thought of as even more strange then he was now, but he also found that he didn't care that much. The only person he cared about finding out about this was the woman before him now, and his brother.

God help him if his brother knew the un pure thoughts that took over his brain every Tuesday night when they filmed Smackdown. It would surely cause nothing but grief, something Jeff found that he had gotten enough of through the entire drug scandal and his leaving the WWE years before.

Matt had let him have it then and would surely even more so let him have it now. There was no way his brother could find out about this girl, and the feelings that erupted in him every time she was near.

But what he wouldn't give to just for one night have her all to himself, in a hotel or at home in Carolina, so that he could show her just what he felt for her, mind body and soul. It pained him so much to think about, the pulsating in his chest and the hum in his heart that he had to turn away from the view.

It had been too long since he had shared the company of another woman, especially another woman who seemed to get him like no other. As he walked back to the locker room to meet up with his brother, who was surely done his tag match now, he tried to put those feelings out of his mind.

It was time to put on another show, a show that only he could do. And that was the show of the very doting brother. The brother that would never let a woman come between them. It was a shame that as good a show as he was now about to put on again, he didn't believe in it for one second.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site, whenever I get my butt in gear and update it. If you would like to host this fiction or any of my work, please email me with a request.

* * *

"Earth to Jeff! Come In Jeff!" Matt called, snapping his fingers near his younger brothers ears trying to bring him back from wherever he had been for the last little while.

They had all gone out, the crowd from North Carolina for a night on the town before Shane went in for surgery the next morning for what would be a lengthy absence. Jeff had agreed to come without a fight but as Matt tried to call his attention back to the people around him, he found that while Jeff might be there in body, he certainly wasn't in mind.

"Sorry Matt, what were you saying? I spaced out there for a minute."

Ashley laughed and patted Jeff on the shoulder. "More like an hour buddy. What's on your mind?"

_Oh only how absolutely stunning you are and my inability to be able to tell you that right now, if ever._ He thought to himself, not giving anything away by the expression on his face. He couldn't give an inch where this was concerned, surely no one would understand it, least of all Ashley, the woman he couldn't seem to get off his mind. But instead of saying what he was really thinking, he answered with a common answer.

"Music, I've got music in my head."

She just nodded and went back to talking to Shannon and his new girlfriend, the seamstress for the WWE, the former Mrs. Droz. The excuse seemed to have worked though because for the next little while, not one person commented on the fact that Jeff was more silent then ever.

These get together's were common for them, because they always wanted to stay in touch with one another despite what happened or didn't happen with their careers. Jeff had always loved getting together with everyone, as it gave him a chance to catch up on anything he might be missing being over on Raw, but tonight felt somehow different and he knew it had a lot to do with the fact that the object of his mental affections was sitting not two feet away from him.

When they had paid the running tab on their drinks and all of the cabs had been called, they all made their way out of the bar. It was there that Shane pulled him away from the others and laid the look of seriousness on him. Something was coming, he could feel it in his bones and he had a feeling it had to do with his actions all night.

"You want to tell me the real reason you have your head in the clouds man?"

Jeff threw him a look, one that was common with him lately, one of complete and utter confusion. "I don't know what you are talking about Shane, I did tell you the truth."

Shane tried to hide the smile that was threatening to break through but it came to no avail. "Do you also want to sell me a bridge to jump from? Because if you are selling, I ain't buying buddy. So why don't you just tell me what has got your ball in a knot tonight."

Jeff shrugged innocently and scanned the parking lot, praying that the cabbie would show up soon. He wanted to tell his older friend what was really going on with him, he felt at the very least with his injury, Shane deserved to know. But he also knew that the minute he told his brothers friend, then all would be lost. Shane wasn't exactly well know for keeping things a secret.

"Well if you aren't going to tell me then I am going to have to guess. With the way you can't take your eyes off of Ashley though, I assume it has something to do with her. You can feel free to tell me I'm totally off base anytime now man."

Jeff hung his head then and Shane instantly knew that he had hit the nail on the head. Now he understood Jeff's silence and at the very least, he felt horrible for the younger Hardy. If there was one thing that was off limits between family, it was the sharing of present and past girlfriends. Case and point, what had happened with Amy and Matt years before.

"Well you want my advice?"

Jeff looked up then, and took in the expression on Shane's face. He knew he shouldn't want to know it, but he was desperate for someone to give him advice as to what to do about what he was feeling.

"What should I do Shane? I mean I know the code of honor and I take it seriously normally. This has never come up before and while I don't want to hurt my brother, I can't get her out of my head."

Shane put his hand on Jeff's shoulder just as the cabs pulled up ready to take all the men and women back to the hotel. "If you have any sense at all you will forget about her now man. I know Matt and her have been over for a long time now, but you know the way your brother thinks better then anyone and if he knew you were having any sort of thoughts about his ex girlfriend, he might just have your head. Hannibal style."

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site, whenever I get my butt in gear and update it. If you would like to host this fiction or any of my work, please email me with a request.

**Authors Notes:** A Note of thanks to all who reviewed and/or read the first two chapters, I hope I can keep you interested with the third. As always, read and review but its not mandatory. I just like that it's being seen.

* * *

The ladies locker room was afire with talk. The women of Smackdown were rambling about who was caught with who in the backstage area and the room was awash with women in towels and wet hair.

Ashley sat and watched the whole scene unfold before her shocked as to why she was even in here to begin with. Growing up she had never felt like one of the girls, more content to hang out with the boys in her neighborhood and play with cars and start fights with each other. She was a tomboy all right and everyone in her family had come to terms with it a long time ago.

_So why aren't you sitting in the guys locker room right now?_

If she had the answer to the questions that plagued her mind then maybe she would be doing something about it. Truth be told, months ago when she had dated Matt, she spent more time there then where she was right now with the women and it had sort of caused a stir within the company. People never liked things that went against the grain and if Ashley was known for anything, it was for going against everything and everyone.

She remembered what it was like hanging out with Gregory, Matt and Shannon on the locker room for all those months and then having that carry over back home to where the boys lived in Carolina. Those set of men were the best in the business and in the world she knew so far and she would go to the ends of the earth to spend time with them,

But there was more to what was going on with her lately then just wanting to hang out with the boys. He had been coming around the show a lot lately, and had been known to watch her in the halls. She always knew eyes were on her when she stretched but had been shocked to see that the person looking had been him.

There had been times when she wanted to admit that she saw him watching her and to proceed to tell him that she kind of liked that he was looking at her but something always got in the way of that.

_Maybe the fact that you dated the mans brother might put an end to your plans._

And that was the truth right there in black and white in her mind. She had dated Matt, had even thought at one point that she loved the man more then anything before, but times had changed and they had both moved on. She wanted to stay friends with him, not because it was the normal thing to do when you broke up, but because it wasn't. Matt was amazing and she had assumed if they had stayed more private then maybe it might have worked out better, but that was neither here nor there anymore because it had been over between them for some time.

But what she felt when Jeff watched her was something else entirely. She felt her body sweat more when he was around, she felt herself blush more, act more like the girly girl instead of the strong willed rock chick she was known on TV to be. No man had ever brought that out in her, the urge to throw caution to the wind and just be a girl again. Not even Matt, but with Jeff she found that she did.

_It's a rule that you don't go out with family members._

Sometimes she hated the rational side of her brain. She knew that the way she had been watching Jeff lately and how eagerly she wanted to get inside his head wasn't healthy for either of them. But sometimes she felt herself push the rational away and just crave him.

But she knew she would never tell him how she was feeling, and that eventually, she hoped it would just pass without incident. She was deep in thoughts about that when she heard the girls get louder and then realized just what they were talking about.

"I swear I think it's going to happen!" Michelle said, trying to contain the fit of screams and giggles that were threatening to erupt.

Ashley looked up, throwing a questioning look at her locker room companion and smiled. "What is going to finally happen?"

"I think I finally got to Jeff Hardy and he is going to ask me out!" she shrieked, almost knowing Ashley down with the force she used to throw her hands around the other divas neck.

"What makes you think that? Has he said anything?"

She blushed then and Ashley wanted to burst out laughing. Apparently she was not the only one who had gotten infected by the Charismatic Enigma himself. At the very least she didn't feel bad about the way she felt now, seeing Michelle do the same thing.

"No but apparently Kelly Kelly heard him talking the other night when they were all over on ECW, and he was overheard being told to just go ahead and ask the girl out."

Ashley was astounded, her and Jeff had been close for some time now, hanging out most chances that got but she had no indication at all that he was interested in dating anyone. He had only recently broken up with Beth had just seemed to be taking it too hard.

It was then that she realized that as much as she had her mind wrapped around Jeff Hardy lately, she was going to have to stop. If Jeff wanted to ask Michelle out, then there was no way she was going to be able to compete with her. She ran her towel through her almost dried hair one more time and wished her companion good luck before heading out the door.

She was meeting the guys for another get together and the last thing she wanted to do knowing what she did now was be late. She needed answers and she needed them now.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site, whenever I get my butt in gear and update it. If you would like to host this fiction or any of my work, please email me with a request.

**Authors Notes:** I wouldn't normally leave an authors note for this chapter, but I figured that since I deleted the reviews from my email without responding last night, and I wanted to agree with one of my favorite reviewers, I might as well do it here. So Skittles, I totally think the rational part of our brains needs to take a vacation. I think that with a lot of relationships that happen in real time, people don't say or do the things they want too because that part of the brain tells them not too. As with what was happening with Ashley. The rational part should tell her to screw off, but the proper part, the part where you need to take a chance, that one wont let her, hopefully. LOL. Thank you all for the reviews thus far, its awesome to see :)

* * *

It had been weeks since she had been here, but the atmosphere hit her almost immediately. She was used to Smackdown, with the way everyone acted as if they were on the same page, but over here, she felt the animosity course through her veins. It seemed like everyone on this show was out for blood, and the match she was currently getting ready to watch in the back was no different.

Of course Matt had invited her over to the show after they had been been at the One Night Stand Pay Per View and she had accepted his invite. She knew they were long over but she loved spending time with him and his entire family and wouldn't miss a chance to do it. Considering she wouldn't be due to tape until the next night and town they were in.

_But you are not here for Matt and you know it. _

There went her brain again, as it had done non stop since the Smackdown taping the week before and Michelle's bombshell. She never heard either way if anything had happened with the two of them but she was sure to find out tomorrow night. Michelle wasn't known to keep anything quiet for long.

She really had no say in what Jeff did and knew that if Michelle was really the girl he wanted then she would be happy for him. Her heart might not take it well, but she would have no other choice but suck it up and accept it.

_You wouldn't have to accept anything if you just came out and told the boy you like him._

She also knew this to be true. She knew deep down that she was acting like a school girl and not the woman in her 20's that she was now. She knew that a successful woman such as herself should have no issues going up to the man she liked and telling him just what she thought of him and what they might be together. But Ashley wasn't like most girls and the thought of putting her heart on the line scared the crap out of her.

What happened if all he did was smile politely and walk away in the other direction? She knew the answer to that before she even got the thought out of her mind. Jeff was not the type of guy to just casually throw someones feelings aside as if they didn't happen. She just couldn't completely convince herself that he wouldn't do something equally heart breaking in the process.

She heard the conversation going on around her, all the women were standing around and waiting for the tag match that was about to take place. It was common practice on both shows that when the Hardy's were in a match, then everyone had to sit and watch. They might miss the shot of the night if they didn't. It was the tail end of the conversation that she caught that made her head spin.

"So apparently Jeff hurt his back last night and now according to script they are going to go out there and strip them of the titles. That to me is totally messed up! I mean who hold those belts better then the Hardy's?"

Ashley agreed with the tail end of the statement because it was true. All of the other tag teams they had tried to make carry the belts on Raw just didn't live up to what the Hardy's could do. And why were they losing their belts on Raw and not at the next pay per view? Where Vince could get people to pay to see it. She didn't like this one bit. It had screw job written all over it.

She interrupted the girls, wanting to know as much as she possibly could before going to find Jeff. She was sure he was aware of the script but she only hoped he didn't do anything serious out there tonight to really injure himself.

"Jeff is injured?" she inquired delicately, trying not to let on that she cared in the slightest.

"Yeah, and pretty bad too from what I've heard around the back. He messed up his back during the ladder match and then there was something wrong with his knee."

She soaked up the words Maria was telling her, all the while thinking that if Jeff wasn't careful he could do some serious damage to himself. She nodded her thanks to the girls for the information and went off in search of the locker room and the Hardy brothers.

* * *

"So man isn't it cool that Ashley came tonight? I didn't think she would, you know with the way things ended. I'm glad we can still hang like this."

Jeff wanted to tell his brother to shut up about Ashley and get his head in the game, but he thought better of it. If he did that then Matt would surely think something was wrong and the whole sordid thing might come out.

He also knew that what Shane had told him the week before was valid. If Matt found out that Jeff in any way wanted to have something with Ashley, he would have his head on a platter faster then you can WWE. But he couldn't help it, hearing about her made his mind go places he wished it just wouldn't go.

"Yeah its cool bro, but what are you expecting from this?"

He hated asking it this way, pretending he cared that Matt might be interested in his ex girlfriend again but he just had to know. There might be a time where he could possibly date her, or at least get up the nerve to tell her about his feelings, his cravings to be more exact and he had to know where Matt stood before that might happen.

"Nothing man, that part of our lives is past for the both of us. I just like having her around, she makes me feel good about myself. Something that hasn't exactly been easy since Amy and Adam did what they did."

Jeff heard that. He knew his brother had gone through hell with the team extreme diva a few years back and also knew that he hated being reminded of it. He was just happy that someone had helped him move on the way that he had. His brother had come a long way from the angry man he once was.

Before Jeff could comment further, Ashley burst through the door, her face red like she had been running and hadn't stopped to catch her breath. Jeff also noticed the beads of sweat dangling on her forehead and wanted nothing more then to wipe them off of her.

He shook his head and then threw his brother a look. Was it possible Ashley was here to see Matt about what they had just been talking about? Was he now going to be privy to a relationship renewal? Just the thought of it made his stomach turn in knots.

"Please tell me you are not going to go out there tonight, either one of you and make idiots of yourselves flying off ladders and the like. I do not think my heart could take it."

Jeff laughed, not being able to contain himself. He had been worried for nothing and the laugh was more of his way of letting off the steam of the previous thoughts. When he saw her reaction to the laugh he instantly felt horrible. She thought he was laughing at her concern. Not a good thing to do to a woman.

"It's not funny alright Jeff? I just found out your injured more then you are willing to admit and I know you, you tend to go too far sometimes thinking your a super hero." She then turned and faced Matt, ready to unload on him as well. "And you, you do not do a thing to stop him from killing himself, you just go ahead and add to it and make it worse."

Matt walked closer to Ashley, putting his arm on her shoulder to try and calm her down. "Nothing is going to happen out there tonight other then us getting our asses handed to us and losing the titles. Nothing we don't know about anyway. So you don't have to worry. Jeff is fine, I am fine, We can do this."

Ashley stared at the two brothers, obviously deciding if they were lying to her or if they finally knew that they couldn't do so much tonight and were actually going to take care of themselves. She wanted to stop worrying but something in her just kept screaming that Jeff would do something and kill himself.

Matt motioned to his brother then and then turned back to Ashley. "We have to go, our match is next. Please don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

She watched him leave and then Jeff started to follow suit. But thinking about it he stopped and turned around quickly to face the woman who was now walking behind him. When he saw the look in her eye he felt his heart melt. She wasn't so much worried about what would happen in the ring as she was about him in general and it was nice to finally have someone care that much to come and tell him to be careful. He had never had that before with any woman and he found that it made him love her more.

"Please Jeff, for me, don't do anything stupid tonight, just wrestle and come back here in one piece."

He nodded and then reached in and kissed her on her sweaty forehead. When he pulled away, he crookedly smiled at her and walked from the room. Without so much as a word about staying safe in the ring.

As he walked out of the room, Ashley still standing in place she touched her forehead. The place where he had kissed her was warm to the touch and as she walked from the locker room she realized she was more of a school girl then ever now because she didn't ever want to wash that feeling off of her face.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site, whenever I get my butt in gear and update it. If you would like to host this fiction or any of my work, please email me with a request.

**Authors Notes:** I was going to write the match right and make it eerily similar to what happened on Monday because let me tell you, I am so pissed off that they actually gave up the titles that way, but my anger would only make the chapter wrong, and I do not want to do that. So for those of you that read this chapter expecting the match recap from Monday, you won't get it. What you will get is the aftermath with a few add ons to the match from my imagination. What I would have done had I been there.

* * *

"Son of a bitch! Now don't tell me that was fucking planned!" Ashley screamed at the television, using all of her might not to smash her fist through it. She had been fine with the amount of action that had been going down in the ring, that was until they started hitting on Jeff's lower back and knee, the two places that were injured.

Now all bets were off. She knew that this had all been walked through before, as was the custom in the tag matches, hell any matches really but more so with tags. But for the life of her she couldn't see Matt and Jeff allowing it go down quite this way. She was disgusted with the way they had lost the belts.

Not giving another seconds thought, she looked around her and when she noticed that no one was watching her, she made her way out through the curtain. She knew should Vince get a load of this, she was certainly in deep shit, but she also knew she couldn't sit back there and do nothing while Jeff and Matt got their asses beaten this way.

Cade and Murdoch were slowly coming up the ramp at the moment she came out behind the curtain. The crowd saw her instantly and starting screaming. What she didn't expect was that Trevor and Lance would think that all the cheering was for them, but it helped in her favor.

As they made their way closer to her, she prepared herself mentally for what she was about to do. If they wanted good television then they were about to get it whether they liked it or not. The men bumped into her then, causing them to spin around and take in the sight before them.

Murdoch strutted over to her, obviously trying to put the moves on her and she slapped him. As Cade came over to get in her face she did the only thing she could think of and she used the move that Matt had taught her when they first started dating. She super kicked him in the face and watched as his body hit the ground, the force of it shaking the ramp and making a loud boom.

She jumped over the men and made her way down to the ring, hell bent and determined to check on both men. She needed to know more then anything that Jeff was alright but she also found herself concerned about the older Hardy as well. They had dated for awhile but they were still friends and she didn't wish him any harm.

They caught her eye then as she entered the ring and she saw the realization hit their eyes. She had broken code and come down to the ring without being told too and that was going to cost her severely. Sure it looked good what she had done, and it might even spark a better angle for herself, but she was still in trouble.

She didn't care though and as she bent down to check on Jeff, Matt slid over, whispering something that she couldn't quite make out.

"What?"

"You broke story line."

"Well they stopped beating on you, so your welcome."

She turned to Jeff then and looked down deep into his eyes. He was awake and coherent, something the referee had already checked on most likely but something that Ashley was happy to see for herself.

She looked up to the crowd then and saw them all standing almost totally silent, waiting to see what was going to happen next. All of the people in the arena tonight knew that she had dated Matt, so it should come as no shock that she was out there. But they also knew that they weren't together anymore, so it gave them pause as they all tried to figure out just what she was doing out there.

Without a rational thought in her brain to tell her otherwise, something she was more then happy about, she bent back down to Jeff and put her lips to his in the softest kiss she could give, without giving away for a second just how much she had been dying to do this.

He responded almost immediately which threw Ashley for a loop. When she had thought of the idea to do it and give the fans something to talk about, she hadn't thought that he would have read her mind this way and been so willing to do it.

Matt stood up then and instead of helping his brother up, just backed away from the ring and jumped down to the outside, leaving Ashley to do the only thing she could think of as she broke the kiss. To get Jeff up and out of the ring before all hell broke loose.

* * *

"What the hell was that out there bro?" Matt yelled accusingly. "Since when do you go around kissing Ashley like that?"

Jeff sighed and turned to face his brother. He had just come back from a meeting with Vince and Ashley and had heard the gamut of just what had gone wrong out there. The last thing he needed was to hear it from his brother as well. He knew it was wrong, that it wasn't scripted but it had just felt right.

_Not to mention something you have been craving for all week long, hell for months._

"Talk to her man, she kissed me remember? I just did whatever felt right in the moment for the crowd." Jeff explained as calmly as he could. "If you have issues with it talk to Ashley. But why do you care so much anyway? What happened to the whole 'just friends' thing you were talking about earlier tonight?"

"You don't get it do you? I do want to be her friend but I don't want to watch as my brother sticks his tongue down her throat."

Jeff couldn't handle it anymore. If he didn't make a move on her Matt wasn't happy and if he did Matt wouldn't be happy so there was really nothing he could do to make his brother feel better about the situation. Not wanting to listen to another word he headed for the door. He needed to get his knee looked at and now was as good a time as any.

As he walked through the door he saw her standing there, almost as if she hadn't just run out to the ring and helped save the day. She looked clean and changed with her clothing and she just looked like a vision in white. He found himself remembering the kiss in the ring and just how good it had felt.

"I'm sorry Jeff, I didn't know it was going to cause this much trouble."

"Didn't know what would?" he asked,, tired of talking and just wanting to get the hell away from everyone.

"Wanting to kiss you."

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site, whenever I get my butt in gear and update it. If you would like to host this fiction or any of my work, please email me with a request.

**Authors Notes:** I am so thankful to all of you for the reviews on the last few chapters. Here is the next update to the story and I hope I can bring you along for the ride like I did with the previous chapters. With all of the heat surrounding the draft and then what happened Monday and Friday, I think that it plays nicely into this story. Its like it came at the perfect time for both of these characters. Happy Reading!

* * *

"Kissing me?" he choked out, all of a sudden feeling like his world was spinning around him. Of all the times for this talk to happen, why did it have to be right after a fight with his brother?

"Yes, look I know that it wasn't the right thing to do but I had to do it. I mean did you see the crowd out there? They expected me to run and help Matt because of well, our past because we weren't exactly hiding it when it happened and when I helped you, and then kissed you, I mean I think it really did some good out there."

Jeff nodded, not at all sure what Ashley was trying to get at. Hell he had wanted her to kiss him, that wasn't in question but from the sounds of it, she felt bad that she had even done it and was trying to make him realize it was only for the sake of the crowd that she had to begin with. The high he had thought he was getting, well he was about to crash and hard.

"Yeah Ash, I know it was only business, don't worry about it." He patted her on the arm to assure her that he had no hard feelings and with a slight wave, made his way down the hall, the destination unknown. All he knew was that he had to get the hell out of there before he made an even bigger ass out of himself.

_Like that is even possible._ He thought to himself, a frown developing over his face as the thoughts ran rampant through his mind. He had just been handed the perfect moment and he had thrown it away. His chance to tell the girl about his feelings and what had he done? Walked away and said there were no hard feelings.

_What am I? Five years old and nervous around a girl in the playground?_

When she had kissed him, his entire body had gone rigid with the heat of the moment. He had never felt such electricity from a kiss with a woman before and now that he had, he wondered if he would ever get the chance to feel that way again.

But it was all business for her right? So why would he get the chance to kiss this woman again? Despite the fact that for the past month or more he couldn't get her off his mind. He knew she was Matt's ex, and he respected that but he had never expected to feel this way, this powerfully this soon.

Surely he could be honest with her and she would understand right? She wouldn't just turn from him and run all in the name of business?

_What am I thinking? Why am I trying to talk myself into something with Ashley when Shane was right and it could never happen?_

The voice answered him then, the voice of his heart, battling against the thoughts of his mind, that was now in overdrive at the thought of committing something against his brother.

_Because you love her._

* * *

She turned around after watching Jeff high tail it down the hallway, obviously in a rush to get the hell away from her and she smacked right into the Chairman of the Board, Mr. McMahon himself.

"Oh my god Vince, I am so sorry. I didn't even think to look where I was going."

Matt exited from the locker room then, his face a crimson mask of red, something Ashley thought looked to be anger but could also have been from the embarrassment of losing the titles the way he had. Matt had always been the one to take what happened in the ring seriously and was obviously feeling pretty beat up about having her come to his rescue.

"Ashley, just the woman I wanted to see." Vince replied then, the wicked smile playing on his lips. She had made a mockery of him out there with her improv and while it had gone over well with the fans in the arena, he did not like having the power taken from him, even if it was for the greater good.

"Look Vince, what happened out there wasn't her fault all right? She was just doing what she thought was right." Matt interjected, knowing where this was going and trying to save Ashley from taking the brunt of his anger. She might have gone ahead and kissed his brother in the name of business or something more, but he still did not want to see her get reamed out for something the fans had obviously wanted to see.

"Matthew, while I appreciate the job you did in the ring tonight, I really do not think you need to let your voice be heard here. This is between Ms. Massaro and I."

Matt just nodded and touching Ashley lightly on the arm as he passed, made his way down the hallway and away from what was obviously something terrible. He only hoped that Vince wasn't too hard on her.

"Look about the coffee..." she stuttered, not knowing just what he was going to say to her and wanting to make everything alright.

"This is not about the damn coffee Ashley, this is about going off script and doing whatever the hell you want in my ring. Who signs your paychecks?"

She looked down to the floor as he spoke, afraid to answer and afraid to look into her bosses angry face. "You do sir, you always have."

"Then I suggest you remember that the next time you want to go off character and kiss the Hardy brothers.

Before she could look up and respond he continued. "Wait, you won't get another chance to remember that because as of right now, consider yourself fired."

Not casting another look in her direction, Vince took off down the hall, obviously done with mess that she had created earlier in the night and moving on to his next victim. Whoever it was Ashley felt sorry for them.

She felt the tears forming in the corner of her eyes, knew that they were only seconds away from becoming reality. She had gone out there and done something amazing, at least in her eyes because it had come across so good, and now she was paying the ultimate price for making the fans love her. She was fired.

_Well Ashley, I hope kissing Jeff Hardy was worth it because now you're out of a job._

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site, whenever I get my butt in gear and update it. If you would like to host this fiction or any of my work, please email me with a request.

**Authors Notes:** So Vinnie Mac is dead eh? How is that for a big bang theory! Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter, as always it does mean a lot. Look for there to be more real life events being thrown into this story but with my own personal twist. I want to warn you ahead of time so when you see it and its not exactly how it happened, you won't get all mad! Happy Reading!

* * *

"Jeff man, where the hell are you right now? I told you that we need to get this match planned out and you're sitting there in space."

He heard Matt of course but was choosing to ignore him, much like Matt had been doing all week long since the horrible fight they had the week prior. If Matt wanted to act all high and mighty then wasn't it about time he did the same? Turnabout is fair play of course.

Well that wasn't exactly truthful because while he really did want to give his brother the silent treatment for his behavior last week, that wasn't the real reason he was silent. His head was in the same place it had been for months, wherever Ashley Massaro was at that moment and there was not a damn thing he could do about it.

And he had tried, oh God how he had tried.

That kiss had not been business it had been personal, at least to him but now that she had been fired, by the man who was now walking around in the back acting like he was really dead there was not a whole lot he could do to make a comeback. At least in the crowds eyes, Ashley and him would never get their chance. The same could be said about behind the scenes too because he still hadn't gotten up enough nerve to tell her what she did to him.

"I'm here alright Matt? I just have a lot on my mind right now."

He heard Matt mutter under his breath and tried his hardest to pretend he hadn't heard what he said. But as always with the way Matt muttered he would be shocked if the people in Titan Towers hadn't heard him. He never did get the idea of mumbling properly.

_You always have something on your mind and it always has nothing to do with wrestling._

Now what the hell did that mean and what did his past behaviors have to do with what was happening now? Their fate still hung in the balance, neither one of them quite sure what show they were going to end up on and whether they would be together or not. But they were taking it in stride, given that even in death Vince had made the show all about him.

"When are you going to stop attacking me about the damn kiss with Ashley and just admit that you still love the girl?" he snapped at his brother then, tired of sitting back and taking it like a lap dog. If Matt wanted a yes man he was going to have to go back to Carolina and find one because Jeff wasn't it.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Matt said, taking his brother and executing a hip toss on him, in the process hurting his injured ribs more.

Jeff, knocked a little breathless but not unconscious, just rolled his eyes in reply. All week it had been this way, the only thing they were able to talk about was what happened in the ring and even then it was filled with tension.

If only Matt would admit his feelings then they might be able to go back to acting like brothers instead of enemies.

_If you would admit that you have a thing for Ashley then maybe Matt could get over his issues and accept it._

If he wasn't still winded from going toe to toe with his brother he might just have broken out in a fit of laughter at the comments his mind was making. If he admitted his feelings to Matt then things could only go more downhill then they already had.

Before they could get another chance to verbally spar with another, Jeff saw the blond woman head down the ramp that had been constructed for the show that night and realized that it was none other then Michelle McCool. Just what she wanted with the two Hardy brothers was beyond him but at the very least it would take Matt's mind off wrestling his brother to his knees.

Or so Jeff hoped silently as she stepped inside the squared circle.

* * *

_Am I a glutton for punishment or what?_ She thought to herself as she entered the arena. She might be fired but there was no law saying she couldn't sit in the back and root for her friends later that night for the show. At least she hoped that wasn't the case.

All she had to do was stay under the radar and no one but her close friends would know she was there and she wouldn't have to be escorted out of the building in handcuffs.

Michelle came running at her then, almost knocking her to the floor as she grabbed Ashley by the arm and dragged her into the locker room, a look of clear frustration written all over face.

"I cannot believe I just did that!" Michelle screamed as the locker room door closed behind them, leaving the two young women in the darkened room alone. Ashley, not knowing what she was talking about decided that it might be good to find out in the light and flipped the switch.

"What are you talking about? What did you do and why do you look so pissed off about it?"

Michelle put her hands on her hips after running her fingers through her long mane of hair, clearly aggravated and wanting someone to gripe to. Since Ashley had been the only one around she assumed she was the guinea pig.

"Remember a couple of weeks ago when I told you what someone told me about Jeff?" When Ashley nodded her head, she continued. "Well tonight since they are both out there in the ring wrestling and getting ready for their tag rematch, I thought it would be cool if I took the lead and asked him about it."

"And?" Ashley said, wanting nothing more then for this god awful story to reach its bitter end. It was obvious that Jeff had said something she didn't like but for the life of her Ashley couldn't figure out why Michelle was dragging it out like a movie script. If it was that bad you think it would have been the first thing she spit out.

"And I am not the girl he was talking about. Can you believe that? All of this prep work, showing up on Raw and flirting and he wasn't interested in me at all. This whole time its been another Diva, someone on Smackdown but not someone that I would know."

She wanted to laugh but knew it wasn't the right place. So Jeff had told her that he wasn't interested in her and also said that there was someone else? Well if that wasn't a kick in the pants. She wanted to feel sorry for her so called friend but knew that secretly she was thrilled.

_But the Diva isn't you honey because Michelle said it was someone she didn't know. Obviously she knows you._

The reality of it hit her then and she checked the smile that was building at the door. Just what had she been hoping? That Jeff would turn her down and then admit that it was Ashley he really wanted to go out with? The odds of that happening were as good as her getting her job back anytime this millennium, slim to none.

"Well damn, I'm sorry Michelle, I know you were banking on something happening with him."

She smiled then, and Ashley wondered just what else she was keeping from her. It didn't take her long to find out.

"Nah, its alright actually because Matt asked me out for coffee after the show tonight and I accepted. I mean if you can't love the one you want, love the one you're with right? At the very least he's still a Hardy."

_But not Jeff Hardy._ Ashley thought but did not say.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site.

* * *

_I have to do it. There is not other way around this no matter what might happen to me after its all said and done. I can't take another night of dreaming about her, imagining what she feels like underneath my body, how her skin would feel all over if i kissed her._

He had been going over the same speech all night. He had agreed to follow along with Matt and Michelle on their quasi like date for coffee and the only thing he could think of was what the easiest escape route could be.

He wasn't a judgmental person by nature, in fact he was the one out of the two brothers that always got the whole picture of someone before commenting on what he thought about them. But with the way she was all over his brother right now, and aiming her eyes on him from across the table as she did it, he was just making himself ill.

Between thoughts of Ashley, wondering if she would show up here anytime soon, and then figuring out just what Michelle's game plan was, he was just stretched to the limit. It had been a hard night as well with the match they had been in and he just wanted to go home and rest his weary head and forget about it all.

But that wasn't going to happen, and from the looks of it, Michelle would be coming home with them. Matt seemed to like the attention he thought she was giving him, and since Ashley there really had been no one else in his brothers life. Matt needed to get laid he was sure, but he just didn't want to sit here and be a party to it.

He had to do it tonight though. He needed to talk to his brother, get the real feel on what he would do if Jeff was interested in going after his old girlfriend. He knew what Shane had said a few weeks ago was most likely true but he needed to know for himself. If Matt was still in love with her like Jeff thought he was, then he would back off and not make a move. But if there was even a sliver of hope, he knew it had to take it now. Otherwise his concentration would be forever gone and his WWE career would suffer with it.

"Isn't your brother like so funny Jeff? I can't believe I never noticed it before." Michelle said, causing Jeff to roll his eyes. Man he needed a distraction and he needed it quick, this was slowly killing him. Could she be any more obvious?

The moment he had been praying for happened though and he found himself giving a big sigh of relief. Ashley had walked in then, surrounded by Kelly Kelly from ECW and Ariel, another one of the ex WWE employees. It looked like business for the Hardy's was about to pick up in a major way.

* * *

"Ashley, wipe the smile off your face. You're calling attention to yourself." Kelly said to her friend as she watched her, her line of vision stuck on the younger Hardy brother. Her eyes not even blinking. The smile on her face was a dead giveaway though. Kelly knew instantly without much help that Ashley had a thing for Jeff and if she didn't wipe the grin off her face soon, so would everyone else. She wasn't exactly being discreet. 

"Sorry." Ashley murmured quietly so that none of the other people at the table could hear her. She knew that she must look like a giddy teenager, goo and gahing over Jeff Hardy's every word but she found that she couldn't help it. Everything he was saying was right up her alley and he was actually interesting to listen too.

_It also helps that he has a southern drawl._

There was that as well. She knew that was one of the reasons she was acting like such a girl. Not that she acted any different away from him, as she was known for being goofy and silly most of the time anyway but this was different somehow. She actually had a crush on the guy across from her and wanted to keep him talking as long as she could.

She heard her name again then and thinking that it was just Kelly wanting to bother her again, distracting her from Jeff's conversation, she tried to ignore it. It was only when her name was said again that she realized it hadn't been her friend speaking and it had been Jeff.

"What was that? Sorry I spaced out."

"I asked if we could talk for a second, you know, alone?"

Ashley felt like her legs were going to turn into a puddle of water at the way he said her name and asked rather shyly if he could talk to her alone. It was weird having these feelings after such a long time. It was like she had forgot what it felt like to really crush on someone, to really focus on something other then what she did for her work, for her life. She found that she liked it though.

"Sure, wanna go outside?"

Jeff nodded and excused himself from the table, following at a close distance behind the Diva with the rainbow hair. If there was ever a woman that matched him in terms of music and style it was this woman. Ashley seemed to have her own flair for the dramatic and doing things for shock value, much like him and he had to secretly admit, it was a turn on. Another reason for the watching he had been doing.

They reached the outside area of the diner and he turned to face her. He had rehearsed in his mind what he was going to say but right now it all seemed wrong and he wondered if he should just forget it.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Ashley asked, her eyes questioning him, looking him over for signs that this was something that might end rather badly. She didn't need anymore dramatics after the week she had been having.

He found that as she asked him what he wanted to talk to her about that the whole speech he had planned out in head seemed to just fly out. He couldn't remember now just what he wanted to say and how he was planning on saying it. So he did the only thing in that moment that he could do, that hell, he wanted to do.

He pulled her to him roughly and he crashed his lips down upon hers, not wanting to let her catch her bearings and push him away from her. He wanted to know if what he felt that night in the ring was real and as he kissed her now, and she responded, he knew that it had been.

He was definitely in lust with Ashley Massaro.

As they continued to kiss, the one recurring thought that ran through Jeff's mind, the one thought he couldn't shake kept pounding at him until he couldn't take it anymore and he ended the kiss.

_I am a dead man._

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site.

**Authors Note:** Sorry for the lack of updating on this story, my mind was stuck with my Cena muse. But here is the next installment and I will begin work on the next chapter after that. I hope you enjoy and thank you all for the reviews. By the way, this is a short chapter but will pick up in the next one as I get deeper into it.

* * *

"Um..Uh..Jeff..." she knew she sounded like a stuttering fool but at that moment her mind seemed frozen as to what was really going on. Sure she had been wanting to kiss Jeff Hardy like that for awhile now but to have it happen that way right outside a diner where so many of their friends were waiting inside, well it just blew her mind.

For the first time in all her adult years, Ashley was speechless.

Immediately the apologies began to fly out of his mouth. He didn't know what had gotten into him, thinking that kissing her was going to make her truly understand just what he had been thinking off all of these weeks and why he wanted to bring her outside to talk. He would have smacked himself if not for fear of looking like an even bigger idiot.

"I made a mistake Ash, can we just forget this ever happened?" he said turning to run away from the situation he had just made for himself, knowing that if he could hide away, surely all of this agonizing would go away. As he started to walk away though she grabbed him roughly on the arm and spun him back around.

"Since when do you get to kiss me like that and then say it was wrong and run away? Jeffery Nero Hardy, you are an enigma to most everyone in the world but you are not to me and I won't treat you as if you are. Tell me what the hell just happened there!"

"I think I just kissed you Ash..I mean you were there, you know I kissed you. What else is there to say?"

She wanted to smack him right then and there she was so infuriated with him. Just what the hell was he thinking?

"I know we kissed dammit, but what I want to know is why?"

He had two choices here, he could be valiant and go with the direct approach, telling her the truth and laying it all out on the table, or he could lie like he had never lied before and hope it was good enough to get him off the hook. As he watched her face turn from anger to confusion he knew the way he had to go with this. There was no other way around it. He had to tell her everything no matter what the outcome with her, or for that matter with Matt.

"For the past few weeks I have been watching you." he said breaking off, taking a deep breath before attempting to speak again. But before he could, she cut him off.

"I know, I've seen you watching me. I wondered why to tell you the truth for a long time but then I just assumed you were watching me because your brother told you too. So is that what it was about or is there something else here? Was you kissing me some sort of test?"

He ran his hands through his hair nervously. Was it possible that she really believed that he had kissed her only minutes earlier because Matt had asked him too? Could she really believe that even if Matt had done that, that he would have agreed to it? Surely that wasn't the case here and she was just still really shaken up.

"Matt didn't tell me to do anything and even if he had I wouldn't have done it. I don't go around kissing women for the fun of it."

"Then WHY Jeff?" she asked pointedly, not breaking the eye contact she had with him.

"You really want to know Ashley? Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. I kissed you just now and have been watching you for weeks, dreaming about you because I am sexually attracted to you. You have started to invade every part of my being, and its finally taken its toll on me. I can't focus on my career or my family because I can't stop thinking about what I want to do with you. Are you fucking happy now?" he said, his voice raising at the last second to emphasize just how messed up and angry he was with the whole thing.

Damn, he hadn't wanted to be here in this place with her right now, not when she was his brothers old girlfriend and a good friend of the family and everyone from North Carolina. No matter what way she took all of this it still didn't erase the history between all of them. Nothing good could come of it.

He walked away then, not wanting to know her answer, truly afraid of what she might have to say to him. But as he did, he could have sworn he heard her say exactly the words his heart had been wanting to hear all of this time.

"I've been dreaming about you too."

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Distribution:** The places that have the rights to this fiction as of its inception are The WWE Fan Fiction Library Open/Selected Archives, Fan Fiction Dot Net, and my own personal site.

* * *

"_I wondered when you were going to get here.." Ashley greeted him, her bathrobe covering her entire body from his view as he entered the apartment. _

_The candles around the room flickered with each movement he made as he made his way in, taking the sight of the woman before him with them. Without so much as an acknowledgment he moved around her and made his way for the sofa. _

_Was he blind or did he not just see her standing there, waiting for him with the apartment done up for his arrival? Was she missing something?_

_She followed to where he now sat on the sofa and she punched him on the arm, causing him to finally look up at her with a questioning expression on his rainbow like features. _

"_OW! What did you do that for?" he demanded, rubbing the spot she had just punched, seemingly for effect more then actual pain. _

"_You deserved it you big idiot!" She snapped at him. "Do you always ignore an apartment full of roses and candles and a woman dressed in her bathrobe?"_

_Jeff grinned at her then and before she knew it she was on her back with him straddling her legs from above. Bending down until he was mere breaths away from her face, in a husky voice she had never heard before he spoke. _

"_No I don't make a habit of it, but then I never had a woman do this much for me before."_

_Unsure of whether to speak or not with him so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face, she decided that it was now or nothing. _

"_Did you plan on this Jeffery? Did you ignore me so that I would attack you?"_

_The grin formed on his lips again and she instantly knew she had been had. He had done what he did because he wanted to get a rise out of her, not the first time he had done it and she should have seen it coming. _

"_You're evil!" _

_The grin not moving for a second he got even closer until his lips were right in front of hers. "Yeah I am, but you secretly love it."_

_With that as his last words he kissed her then, letting his hands move down her body until they reached the drawstrings of her robe. With what could only be described as magic fingers he had the string undone and her robe open in a matter of seconds without even missing a beat as the kiss deepened with their tongues meeting each other, pushing the desire level within her even deeper._

_He felt the material she had been wearing underneath the robe and he immediately broke away from the earth moving kiss. "You really planned this whole thing out didn't you Ash? When did you buy this?" he asked as he flicked the strap of the lingerie, causing it to snap against her body. _

"_Earlier today when you were out training...so I take it that I made a good choice?" she said grinning back at him, letting him know that two could play the game he was so intent on playing._

"_If like means that I think its going to be a wonderful edition to our floor in about two seconds, then yes Ash, I absolutely love it."_

_He kissed her again, this time his desire seeping through into it, letting her know in no uncertain terms just what he thought of the clothing she had just spent hundreds of dollars on. She arched her body as he ran his hands over her body, slowly taking the robe off and pushing it to the floor as she did. _

_He worked his hands back up to the straps of the lingerie and he slid each one down slowly, taking his time and admiring the curves and nuances of her body as he did. Sure he had been here with her so many times before but this time was different in that he was really going to admire her body and her mind this time, take it all in its complete form. _

_He cupped her breast in his hands then and gently licked it slowly with his tongue, taking in the taste of her and also the sounds of intense desire that were now seeping out through her throat in a dry moan. _

"_Ashley! Can you hear me? Ash??!!"_

Her eyes flew open then and she saw the two Diva's kneeling down beside her, looks of shock written all over their faces. It was obvious instantly that it had all been a dream and that none of what she had just had with Jeff had been happening.

"Where were you just now girl?" Candice asked putting her hand to Ashley's forehead as if looking for signs of sickness or fever. "We were yelling at you for about five minutes. Maria even snapped her fingers a shit load of times. Is everything alright?"

She pushed Candice's hand away and stood up, the two Diva's parting like the Red Sea to let her do so. She had snuck into the locker room again and while she knew she could and probably would get caught, it beat the alternative of staying at home and being lonely. Not to mention she had wanted to be there and see Jeff's match later that night. But she wasn't about to tell the two Diva's that.

"I'm fine alright, I just zoned out I guess."

Maria snorted and then covering her mouth before a giggle could escape she looked back at her Smackdown friend. "Went into a coma is more like it."

"Guys it wasn't that serious alright. I just haven't been sleeping very well. I didn't mean to pass out on you."

Candice smiled at her friend just thankful that nothing indeed was wrong with her and that it had been them that had caught her and not anyone from the head office.

"What were you dreaming about so strongly?" she asked, still wanting to know where Ashley had gone so deeply that they couldn't even wake her.

Ashley sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, realizing that it totally needed to be brushed and taken care off because it felt like grease. Did she dare tell her friends who she had been dreaming about and just how close she had been to making love with him? Would they really understand?

Realizing that they probably wouldn't and not wanting it to get back to Jeff and for there to be more drama, she just chose the easiest answer. "How the hell I am going to get my job back."

* * *

"You did what?" Shannon asked as Jeff suited up for his singles match that night out in the ring. He had told his friend just what happened at the diner only a few short nights before and now he was going to have to go even deeper into it. Shannon wasn't exactly known for his smarts.

"You're gonna make me repeat it? You heard me the first time man. I kissed the hell out of her."

Shannon laughed and put his hand up waiting for a high five which was never going to come. After a few seconds of his hand sitting in mid air, he realized it and took it down, the hint of laughter still showing in his eyes.

"Man I heard you the first time but I just can't believe ya did it. Damn that takes a lot of balls."

Didn't he know it. He had been thinking the same thing for the last few days after it happened. What he had been thinking still wasn't clear, he just knew he had to do it. It was more what happened after it and what he had finally admitted to her that was really bothering him. She had beaten it out of him and he just didn't know where to go from here.

At the very least he knew she was fired so she couldn't possibly be in the arena tonight to see just how much the entire thing bothered him.

Shannon spoke again then, making him remember he wasn't there alone and that someone else now knew everything. "You do realize that if Matt finds out your a dead man right? I mean he asked Michelle out but that was nothing. He still really loves Ash and wants her back."

Jeff ran his fingers through his hair. Of course he knew which was why he had to stay the hell away from her and any feelings that he might have for her. It was the best thing for his brother and in the long run for him and Ashley, no matter what his heart wanted.

"I know all of that already Shannon. Why don't you try telling me something I might not know, like how the hell I am supposed to forget that it happened and move on?"

"I don't think you can man. Did you find out if she felt the same way?"

Jeff paused, realizing then that he hadn't even bothered to let her speak much after he had laid his explosive feelings on the table. Now he might never know for sure what she thought about any of it. Not that it mattered anyway, she was still Matt's girl.

"No I didn't stick around to ask."

Shannon broke out in a fit of laughter and Jeff just turned his back on it. If his best friend thought it was funny the situation he was in then just what the hell was Ashley thinking about it? Could she possibly find it as funny?

He walked out of the locker room, headed for the Gorilla spot to be ready when his music hit only a few minutes from now and as he turned the corner that would take him where he needed to go, he came face to face with the person that would answer all of his lingering questions.

The person he most wanted to see but at the same time least wanted to see. The person that was now looking at him with her sparkling eyes was none other then the person he had bared his soul too. Ashley Massaro.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Notes:** I have a dirty habit of not responding to the reviews instead opting to just post the chapters and thank people here in the authors note. That is going to change as I am getting so deep into my writing that I tend to forget to even write authors notes. So from now on, you will get replies from me with each review that is given. I am sorry in advance if I have made any of you feel like I've ignored your reviewing. Its quite the opposite really. I do thank you all for taking the time to just read this, and the reviews are just an added bonus. You're the best.

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"Oh shit!" Ashley whispered as she saw him; standing directly in front of her, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there in that particular moment. She covered her mouth the minute the words were out of her mouth and she felt her cheeks burn hot.

_Damn, now the man has me blushing over a slip of the tongue. I'm a loss cause._

She ran her fingers through her hair then, not at all sure how she looked but knowing that for some reason as she stood here with the man she had been dreaming out just minutes earlier, it suddenly mattered. She really had lost her mind.

"What are you doing here Ash? Weren't you fired?" he asked, not a bit of reaction showing on his face. If he had been shocked to see her there he surely wasn't showing it now. Maybe he really didn't care after all.

"Yes Jeff I was fired and hey, thanks for reminding me that I need to hit the unemployment line. Look if you don't mind I will just be on my way." she started to move around him and had almost made a clear break away until he spun around and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her dead in her tracks.

_Uh Oh. _She thought to herself. _Nothing good can come of this._

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound the way I did. I was just sort of shocked to see you in the arena is all."

She blew it off with a flick of her non occupied wrist. "No harm done. I really should get going though before someone sees me here and I get carted out in handcuffs."

The vision of Ashley Massaro being carted out of anywhere in the metal handcuffs was almost too much for Jeff to comprehend. He laughed under his breath then, hoping that she hadn't heard him. He watched as her expression changed and he instantly knew it was too good to be true. He had been caught, much like a deer in headlights.

"Well will wonders never cease. Jeff Hardy actually remembers how to laugh." she said not smiling at him or acting in the slightest bit like she cared.

Truth be told she wanted to hear him act like this more, laughing and smiling at her the way he was now but she also knew there was no way in hell she was going to admit it to him when his eyes were so burned into her mind as they were now.

"I always knew how to laugh I just never had the right person make me do it before."

Well there was another shock she hadn't been prepared for. He was actually admitting that in some small way she had made him laugh. It was a day where she was definitely learning as she went along. It was almost too bad she still had the memory of him on top of her still burned into her mind.

"Well if that's everything, do you think I can go now? I really don't want to get caught by any of the management."

He nodded his head and looked like he also was on his way someplace that he needed to be. But before she could even get a few steps down the hall, he turned around again and called to her.

"Yeah?" she asked turning around at the sound of her name.

He walked back towards her as she stood in place, awaiting whatever it might be that he had forgotten to say to her. As he made his way closer, the scent of him wafting around her she was almost mesmerized. He certainly knew what buttons to push within her and if now wasn't enough fact, there was the dream she had been awoken from.

"What is it Jeff? I really need to get the hell out of her." she pushed, casting a look around to make sure they weren't being watched. When she was content that they were indeed alone, she awaited his answer.

Only his answer didn't come in the form of actual talking. Before she knew what was happening he pulled her face to his and pushed his lips to hers in what could only be described an an emotionally charged moment of electricity.

It was like that night only a few nights before at the diner when their lips had met the way they had and instead of pushing him away like her mind was telling her strongly to do, she followed her heart and she pushed back deeply into his mouth, hungry for him and more of what he was so willingly allowing himself to give her.

She never wanted this moment to end but just as the thoughts entered her mind she heard the slam of a locker room door behind her and before she could get her wits about her and end the kiss she saw him out of the corner of her eye.

Standing just off to the side where he had exited from was Matt Hardy and he did not look happy to see what he was now being privy too. Not happy at all. In fact, as Jeff finally pulled away from the kiss they were sharing and followed the length of her gaze, the look they were both greeted with was a mixture and anger and downright betrayal.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Note:** With the recent tragedy in the wrestling world, I am putting my fiction **Colorful** on hold for awhile. The reason for this is because out of respect for the Benoit family, and the violence that was beginning in that fiction, I think it best at the moment. I will continue it soon but I need to process everything before that can happen. Thank you for all reviews on this fiction, it means a lot. I think I replied to everyone this time but thanks none the less.

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"Matt!" Ashley said as Matt turned away from the sight of the two of them. Ashley made her way over slowly to where he was standing with his back to her and from her vantage point she could see his fists clenched and his knuckles turning white from just how hard his hands were put together.

Jeff was at her side instantly and he put his arm around her, whispering in her ear as he did. "Just let me deal with my brother. I know what this is about and its better if you aren't here to witness what might happen."

Ashley nodded and made her way down the hall to the exit, the way she had been destined to go in before Jeff had bumped into her and made her lose control of all space and time. When Jeff was sure he was safely out of the range of Matt's anger, he knew it was time to get everything out in the open. What he should have done weeks ago when the dreams had plagued him so heavily.

"How—could—you?" Matt said, taking deep breaths between each word so that he wouldn't turn around and do to his brother what he really felt like doing in that moment. He wanted to hit Jeff, to knock his lights out for doing this to him.

How many times had they told each other that they would never make a move on a woman that the other brother had dated? How often had Matt asked Jeff if there was anything going on with him and Ashley and then have Jeff tell him that there was nothing at all happening?

What a crock of absolute bullshit. What Matt had just witnessed proved he had been right in his instincts all along. Jeff had been going behind his back with Ashley Massaro. The woman that when he sat down and really thought about it, he still very much loved.

"It wasn't planned Matt. It just sort of happened. Look I didn't set out to feel this way about her and I don't think she did either. We never meant to hurt you."

Matt spun around on his brother then and got right into his face, his eyes burning a hole through his brothers blue green eyes. "You never meant too? Never meant too? Give me a break Jeff. The first time you looked at her differently you were betraying me and if you are kissing her now in front of everyone that must have happened a hell of a long time ago."

Jeff knew he was right on the money. Jeff had been looking at Ashley differently for some time now but it wasn't his fault that he couldn't deny his feelings any more when she was around. Nor was it hers. It was something that as hard as it had to be on Matt, was something that needed to happen in order for both of them to be able to move on.

He wanted Ashley, in more then a friendly way and as much as it pained him to think it; Matt was just going to have to accept it. It wasn't like Jeff could just shut the feelings down.

"I told you bro, it wasn't planned. None of this was set up to hurt you. In fact I tried to deal with it my own way and forget about it because I didn't want to hurt you. I pushed her away from me until I just couldn't take it anymore. You have to believe me Matt, none of this was done to hurt you or anyone else for that matter."

"Whatever your motives Jeff, if you had feelings for her you should have come and told me about it. Right now we have never kept anything from each other but this and this might be the thing to break us."

He started to walk away then and Jeff jogged to catch up with him. Turning his brother around he looked him in the eye, desperately seeking answers. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Matt looked at his younger brother, the one he had taught everything too growing up and had even taken under his wing when he wanted to wrestle. Helping to get them both to where they were today. They had been through so much together and he never once thought Jeff could lie to him and do this the way that he did.

"I'm telling Vince to let me go back to Smackdown full time and for you to stay put on Raw. I never want to have anything more to do with you from this moment on. Consider me dead brother because as of right now I no longer have a brother."

Matt walked away, leaving Jeff standing in the now empty hallway, minutes away from a match that he was scheduled to be in. He knew that he had to deal with this mess with Ashley and his brother but right now, duty called and that meant getting into the ring and getting this mess over with.

He cared for Ashley, wanted nothing more then to be with her but if it meant that he was going to lose his brother then there was just no other thing he could do here. He had to let her go and watch her walk away, back into the arms of his brother. Just so long as it wasn't with him then it would be fine.

Too bad that no matter the amount of talking he managed to do to himself he couldn't shake the lump in his throat. No matter what he did with Ashley or Matt he knew that his life would never be totally fine again.

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	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Notes:** A quick thank you to everyone that reviewed. It means a lot to me that you all took the time out to get into this fiction and let me know what you thought.

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"I think I need to get another drink." Ashley said, knowing full well that the couples she was hanging with at the club were paying attention to nothing other then the people attached to their mouthes.

_On second thought I think I might just go home._ She thought to herself, dying to say it and get some kind of acknowledgment but thought better of it. She stomped off to nowhere in particular just knowing deep down she had to get away from the couples that had overcrowded their tables.

It seemed that everyone was either hooking up or getting married within their tight knit group lately and Ashley couldn't help but feel like she was a third wheel to all of that. Sure she had just kissed Jeff but two days ago when Matt had caught them but it wasn't like he had called her since.

_Matt probably deserves his attention right now. He will call you when the time comes and he feels alright to do it._

She wanted to believe all of that but deep down she knew that if he really wanted to be with her, his brother would not be able to stop him. Proof of that fact could be found when he left the WWE all those years ago and Matt had tried to get him back in. He hadn't wanted it then and had waited until last year to make it back himself. So what made this any different?

She stood at the bar, watching as the patrons all shouted drunken orders at the bartender, determined not to become one of them. As she got caught up in the goings on around her she didn't notice the shadow of the man that was now beside her.

It was only when she felt the breeze from her hair moving to the side that she looked up, almost knocking her drink over as she did. Just who the hell did this man think he was touching her in a most intimate way?

She was fully prepared to smack him until she took stock of his face and saw just who it was looking back at her. His eyes were the first indicator, not at all like the bedroom eyes of his brother. His were more soulful, more deep and determined. The kind of eyes that you could never truly read.

"Dance with me Ashley."

He pulled back, as if ready to move into the dance floor area without so much as a reply from her when he stopped cold and looked back at her, into her eyes.

"You want me to dance with you?" she asked, her sudden hesitation showing awkward instead of the sly and sultry she had wanted it to be.

He just nodded. His eyes stared through her hard and she could see nothing else at that moment. She couldn't feel anything else but the place where he had just swept her hair back. It seemed to burn with a tinge of fire.

As they made their way through the crowds of people at the bar and then past the dancers lingering around seemingly everywhere, the time for talking seemed to cease to exist.

It was then that he put his hand on her side, up high, just under her breast causing her to startle but not to make one move otherwise to get away. Even if she had wanted too, there was so escape. She looked up into his eyes, the darkness and the lightness of them and could feel herself becoming lost in them.

They began to move together in perfect sequence and her hand slipped from his shoulder to the back of his neck. The strands of his hair, purple in color tonight, rubbed against her fingertips. The heat coming off of his hand seemed to brand her through her shirt. She felt the heat level within her body start to rise in her stomach as she felt it lightly rub against his groin.

Nobody seemed to watch, or pay any mind to him as he moved his hands and let them slide up her back to tangle in her hair, tipping her head back, baring her throat to his mouth as he bent down to slide his mouth across her skin.

Ashley noticed the bodies around them, all coming together, pressing against each other in a lustful dance, a heated dance. Sweat seemed to slide down her spine and was shining on his forehead as well as all the people around them. Everything had suddenly become all about the heat in the what seemed now small room.

She felt as Jeff's manhood pressed against her chest, as he danced closer and closer to her, his hands now exploring every inch of her. The song ended then and without a second thought he broke away from her and started to walk out the same way he had come.

Before she had a chance to process everything he was halfway to the door, almost running by now away from the scene that had just been about to take place out there on the dance floor. With a sudden clarity she realized he must have gotten a clue at where this was heading and had wanted to stop it before there was no turning back.

"Jeff wait!" she yelled out, causing him to stop mid walk and turn around slowly to face her. When she finally reached him he turned again from her, as if his head was pulling him out the door but his heart wanted something different.

Watching the seeds of conflict in this man right now made her almost nauseated. She had been here herself only days before, hours before if she was truly honest with herself and she had only now started to get over it. She knew that he was scared, worried even about what was going on between them and she had to admit she didn't blame him one bit.

"Don't leave like this Jeff. Whatever happened or was about to happen out there on that dance floor, it doesn't have to end this way. We can talk about this."

The words seemed to flow out of her mouth but she was not at all sure if she even believed them or not. Could it be that what happened out there had been destined to lead to something sensual, erotic and pleasurable for the two of them and that was something Jeff just didn't want? Or was it more then that?

His voice spoke then, a hoarse whisper that Ashley silently noticed was the combination of heat and attraction.

"I can't do this Ashley. I don't know what I was thinking listening to Maria and coming here tonight to see you."

"You can't do what? Stay with me and have a couple of drinks?" she asked coyly, knowing that what he meant was what was beginning to take flight between them out on the dance floor and not about her directly.

"I almost fucked you out there. I would have put my hands in your skirt next and probably fucked you right there in the middle of the damn club. Don't you see how wrong that would be?"

She did but only because she had assumed the first time they would have come together would be when they were both alone in a more romantic setting. She knew how much her body had wanted him just now, craving him with every fiber of her being but she didn't want to admit it when he looked so damn serious about it. He was right, this was not the right time was all.

"Then take me somewhere private if thats what this is about Jeff. I want what happened out there to continue and I know you did too otherwise you wouldn't have run from it the way you are now."

When she looked into his eyes then, they seemed to almost change color before her. He did indeed want her, that was written in them the way it was in hers, but there was something more in his eyes this time that hadn't been there just mere minutes before. She didn't know what it was but she knew it wasn't anything good.

"I can't do this Ashley so just forget I was even here. I should never have found you in the first place."

He took off running then, leaving her standing by the door of the club, the look of hurt written all over her face. He was running from something, running from her and she just wished she knew what the hell it could be. It had to be more then Matt because he wouldn't have even come tonight if Matt was really the issue.

So what was it that was making Jeff Hardy run further and further away from her now and just what did she have to do to make him stop running and take what she was willingly going to give to him?

Her heart.

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	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Music Disclaimer:** The song is by Poison – Lay Your Body Down and I do not own the rights to it. It is used here only for entertainment purpose.

**Advisory:** This chapter main contain scenes that may be offensive to some readers. Reader Discretion is advised.

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He watched her, like a bird stalking its prey. If she knew he was standing in the shadows then she was not letting it show. Just why hadn't he walked away from the club the minute things had gotten too close for comfort? Why had he just waited outside, biding his time until he saw her exit mere minutes later.

She was alone of course, which meant that there was no one in that club that caught her approval. That or she was feeling the same heat that he was whenever they were around each other. Was it possible that she felt exactly what he was feeling, like they were a match made in heaven, but without the right moves to get to the right place?

She looked gorgeous tonight, the way her hips seemed to sway in the skirt and low cut t-shirt that she wore. If the shirt was any tighter to her breasts he thought he might just explode right there in the darkness with the street light the only thing to guide him.

He stood idly by as she entered the hotel to which she was staying, having followed her all the way home, wondering just what she had planned for the rest of the night now that her club dreams had been taken away from her. He hadn't meant to push her away and run the way he did but he was having a hard time dealing with the impulses his body seemed to create whenever he was around her.

He walked into the hotel room and went to the front desk, after a reasonable amount of time had passed and he was sure she was well comfortable in her suite. He garnered the information he needed, mainly because he was a fellow wrestler himself and there was no harm in giving out information to a fellow co worker.

When he stood outside of her suite, the fear began to rise in him but he pushed it down with all of his strength. He knew why he was here and what was going to happen if he had his way and there was no way that he was going back on that now. He had to know what it felt like, to be with her without any one else around. To hear the sound of her labored breathing beneath him as he made love to her. The scent of her as she writhed in esctacy as they came together. He just had to know what it felt like, just once before this time was through.

He knocked, and held his breath nervously as he waited for her to look through the peep hole of her door and make sure he was not a fan or an attacker. When she was satisfied with who was on the other end of the doorway she opened it and motioned him in without so much as a greeting.

"I know this is unexpected.." he said trailing off and letting her take in the fact that he was indeed standing before her and not just a figment of her imagination, of which he seemed to be lately and he knew this.

"Why are you here?" she asked him point blank, her arms crossed over each other and her foot stamping lightly into the floor.

He knew she was upset, angry more like it and he wanted to tell her exactly why he had run from her just mere minutes before but he knew the time for that would come later...much later after what he had set in motion had come to pass.

"Because deep down you want me here." Was all he could reply.

She turned from him then, prepared to move as far away as she could from him and the feelings that he was so obviously causing her. Before she could make it any further then a couple of steps though he held out his arms and he stopped her, bringing her around again to face him.

"Tell me you want me to go and I will. But I don't think you will because you want me here."

Her eyes, which had once showed anger and hurt were now shining with need, a need that until now Jeff had never truly seen on her features. He had known how much he let his need for her show every time they touched but she had been more guarded with hers.

"You want me here." he repeated.

She nodded and not wasting another moment he stepped forward, as close as he could get to her and he pulled her body, by way of her head to him, crashing their lips together in a momentary loss of time and space. As he deepened the kiss, her mouth seemingly full of wetness, something he hoped translated to the rest of her body he could feel the pulsating need within himself to carry this further, but to take his time.

Not breaking the kiss for a second he hoisted her up into his arms and moved towards the hotel bed, the place where he was sure that the magic of them finally coming together was about to take place. Or at the very least he wanted it too. He laid her down lightly and climbed on top of her, just breaking away from their passionate embrace long enough to make sure that she was comfortable beneath his weight.

He saw the hunger in her eyes, the absolute craving that was mirrored in his own. She knew where this was going to go and knew that she could have the power to stop it but no sound seemed to come from her pursed lips. She wanted this maybe not as eagerly as he did, but with as much passion as he.

With one last look into her eyes he moved down her body, rolling her shirt up just a little, exposing her stomach, and then moving it up just a little further exposing her breasts that now lay tightly in the white lacy bra he had seen on her so many times before. Sliding the shirt over her head, tossing to the side of the bed he slipped his hands slowly underneath the under wire of the bra just allowing his fingers the pleasure of feeling the softness of her skin.

She let out a small moan as he wrapped his hands around her breasts, massaging them with his hands, one by one, in intricate circle motions, wanting to take all the time in the world to make her feel at her most pleasured. Seeing the clasp at the front of the bra he undid it, letting it fall over her slim shoulders and out of his way so he could taste the softness of the now hard nipples.

He wrapped his mouth around her left breast, taking it into his entire mouth, all the while using his tongue to flick the areola, making the nipple almost crack within the hardness of itself. She moaned again and he felt her running her hands through his head, arching her back and her pelvic region into the air, signaling just what the pleasurable feeling was doing to her senses.

Just as he was taking her in through every sense, she was as well. He broke away after running his mouth over both breasts and made his way down her abdomen, at one point tickling her with his tongue and causing her body to do an all over twitch.

He slid his fingers into the undercarriage of her skirt and slid it down around her ankles, exposing the matching panties that went with the bra he had just untangled from her now sweat ridden body. Her body was reacting to his touch, just the way he had imagined it so many times in his mind and he had to stop himself from releasing himself.

As he slid her panties down slowly, taking his time and letting her savor the touch, he noticed the patch of hair, in the shape of a triangle that covered the pink pulsating piece he craved to wrap his mouth around. He bent down slowly and as he went to put his mouth to her cunt, ready to really taste her for the very first time, she moved, causing him to stop and look back up into her eyes.

"No, I can't wait anymore." she whispered breathlessly, urging him with her body to come back to where he was before, where his lips could be wrapped around hers. They had all the time in the world to get to know each others bodies inside and out, but right now she wanted to feel what he would feel like inside of her.

Following her direction he slid slowly back up her body, placing tender kisses along each of her body parts until he reached her face again, their lips coming together as one as she slowly used her hands to unbutton the only thing that held his body apart from hers.

When she had safely maneuvered his jeans downward he broke away and pulled them off, taking the boxer shorts that accompanied them with them, all in a neat pile gathering on the hotel room floor.

Motioning to the drawer beside the bed, Jeff opened it and laced himself with the protection she was so eager to give them both, knowing that this was a situation they could never go back from. Kissing her again, he moved his cock between her legs, brushing up against them and begging for entrance.

She parted her legs and he entered her slowly at first, then pushing himself deeper and deeper until the head of his dick could rub against the sides of her cervix, sending a tingling fiery sensation all the way down to his feet and making him moan in pleasure.

"Ashley, I want to watch your face this time as I make love to you, can you handle that?" Jeff asked, his voice husky and driven in need.

She nodded and he proceeded to watch her as he moved inside of her body, in and out, around in circles, watching as her eyes rolled back in her head in absolute pleasure, and a small moan trickled out of her mouth.

_God damn, she sounds sexy._ He thought to himself all the while moving within her, kissing her lips and breaking away and focusing his attention on her neck, the taste of fruit so prevalent there he had just had to have another taste of her.

He slid his hands beneath her rear, tilting her against him and changing the angle of their two bodies. His pelvis bumped against her cunt so hard the intermittent pressure was almost too much to bear. Wetness growing, need escaping they were wrapped up in each other, neither one looking away from the other, just watching in delight at the pleasure they were able to seek together.

The wave hit him then, one he could no deny any longer, one that had been aching since they had danced earlier in the club. He felt her tense in that moment and tighten her pussy around him, making it that much harder to move and to release from the intense orgasm he was surely about to receive.

They came together then, their sweaty bodies tangled within one another, each breath hard and deliberate, as if it might be their last and all at once they collapsed onto each other in esctacy. The sound of their still labored breathing the only sound in the entire room.

After a few seconds of silence Jeff moved off of her body and looked up into her satiated eyes. What he saw there was more then a woman who had been sent to the brink and back, but a woman that held the key to the one thing he had never expected to want to give away again.

His heart.

"Jeff.." she started to speak finally able to find her voice again after the loud climax they had experienced together.

"Yeah?" he whispered back at her.

"Don't run from me tonight alright?Just stay here for now and let me love you."

He thought about her words and what they had done to his heart the moment they were out of her mouth. This was what they were going through all of this for wasn't it? They loved each other. The realization of that was almost as scary as what his brother would do the minute he found out that they had gone behind his back and slept together, finally letting the passion overtake them. It was almost too much to think about. But he knew he would do as she asked.

He would stay the night here with her, and every night after that if that was what she wanted him to do.

Because no matter what he said from now on there was only one thing that was clear. Jeff Hardy was in love with Ashley Massaro and the way they had just come together, their hearts almost beating as one, was proof of that.

"I'll stay with you Ashley, as long as you need me too."

**Let your love rain down on me, down on me**

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	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Notes:** I wanted to give fair warning in advance but this story should be ending in another five chapters. After going through the motions of what to do with this couple, the conflict with Matt still standing in the wind, I think I can only award a certain amount of punishment to this couple. So thats all I need to say, besides the normal, Happy Reading! Thank you all for the reviews, it means a lot that you took the time to do it.

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He heard the knock before he realized just where he was and what he had done the night before. The evenings events came full force when he realized that he knew the person who was now on the other side of Ashley's hotel room door knocking. It was the last person he needed or wanted to see right now.

She stirred beside him then, hearing the knock as well and rising from the bed, grabbing the robe and throwing it around her shoulders. She threw him a look of concern, realizing just who was on the other side of the door as he called through it and panic started to set in.

"He can't find you here Jeff." was all she could say, knowing from the past experience of Matt seeing the two of them together kissing just what the older Hardy brother thought about Ashley and Jeff as anything other then familiar friends.

He nodded and headed into the bathroom, without so much of a word to her, but letting her know as he passed that he understood and would remain as silent as possible until the damage control with Matt was done.

When she was sure that he was securely hidden in the bathroom, and that her knot in the robe she wore was tight enough not to reveal what was hidden underneath, she went to the door and opened it slowly.

"Ash, good morning. I was hoping you hadn't gotten a flight out yet. Can I come in and steal a minute of your time?"

She nodded, not trusting her guilty filled voice to speak. When he passed her and came into the room she saw the clothing bunched on the floor by the bathroom door. In the middle of it was Jeff's shirt, something she hadn't thought about in her hurry to let Matt into her room and stop the incessant knocking.

She made her way over to the bed quickly and pushed it deeper into the corner, to hide as much of it from Matt as she could. When she was satisfied that one crisis had been averted, she turned back to face her ex boyfriend. Just what had brought him to her room this early in the morning was beyond her but she had no doubt she was about to find out.

"Whats on your mind Matt?"

He took a seat on the bed, which still contained the creases from where two bodies had just spent the night wrapped up in each other and she almost blushed with embarrassment. If he had any idea the way she had spent the night in the very bed he was sitting on now, he would surely lose his mind.

"Jeff. But more importantly what is going on between the two of you. I talked to him about it at the arena but I wanted to hear things from you."

She had a choice here now and she knew it was not going to be any easy one to make with Jeff standing on the other side of the bathroom door and only mere seconds from her. She could admit that there was something between them that she wanted to explore, explain it as best she could and hope for the best from Matt, or she could lie and pretend that the night before hadn't even taken place.

Her heart wanted her to be honest but her head told her she was not in the mood for a confrontation. She wasn't sure which one to hold out more stock in. She knew Matt and her had a past, but thats what it was now and there was never any way it could back to being anything more then it was and that had nothing to do with Jeff. She just didn't want to go back in time and recreate what just couldn't and shouldn't be done again.

She had been a Lita substitute, she knew it then and she knew it even more now and there was no words Matt could say to her to change it.

"I care about your brother Matt. I could lie and say that its purely innocent but then that wouldn't be fair to him or to both of us. I didn't plan on feeling anything for him but I do. I'm sorry if that hurts you. I never intended for that to happen."

Matt just nodded his head in silence and Ashley wondered if in his silence there was an anger brewing that was going to be taken out on her. Before she could speculate any further he stood from the bed then and made his way over to where she stood, not moving an inch in any direction, her feet firmly planted on the floor.

"What if I told you that I never got over you? Would that matter to you at all right now Ashley?"

She backed away from him, not feeling comfortable with the closeness he was trying to bring onto her shoulders. She wasn't comfortable at all with this conversation and the way it was heading either. Surely neither was Jeff as he listened on the other side of the door.

"It matters Matt because you will always matter to me, but it just isn't something I think is right and that has nothing to do with Jeff. You miss the feeling of having someone there with you all the time and it wouldn't matter if it was me or some other Diva, you just miss the one thing you can't have anymore."

She knew what she meant when she said it and was sure that he knew it too. The unspoken elephant in the room between them was Amy, and it was always going to be Amy no matter what Matt said to the contrary. She was the perfect woman for Matt, one that even though she had cheated, no other woman would measure up too. In truth they both knew that was the woman he really wanted. Not her.

"This is not about her, this is about you and me. I love you Ashley Massaro and I think we are perfect together. I miss you and I want to try again."

She wanted to tell him to leave, that her heart was with another man, his very own brother but she knew if she did then it was going to create more problems for the two family members, not only that but for her and Jeff as well because she hadn't been totally forthcoming with her feelings for him at this point.

"I don't want to try again Matt because it is about her. What we had was great and I loved being with you but too much time has passed and truth be told I have moved on with my life and I think you need to do the same. I'm so sorry for any pain you are going through but I cannot be the stand in when the real woman you want doesn't want you back."

it hurt her to say this, words she should have gotten up the courage to tell him when they had indeed been dating. It had been a hard time for her, letting him go when she had felt so much for the man. But he had loved another, was not over her and there was no way she could deny it anymore, not to herself and not to him. She was indeed better off now. Time had healed those wounds.

_Jeff helped heal them you mean._

Jeff had no idea of it but that was the deepest truth she kept hidden from everyone, including him. When Matt and her had gone their separate ways, Jeff had been there for her as he was for his brother and he had done a hell of a good job of making her feel that she had done the right thing.

"You've moved on to my brother is what you are trying to say right? There is no use beating around the bush with it Ashley, if you love my brother then you might as well admit it."

He was angry she could tell but she no longer cared anymore. She was an adult, Jeff was an adult and if they wanted to see each other then some stupid promise Jeff had made to him shouldn't matter anymore. They weren't kids anymore and hadn't been for some time. It was time to start acting like it.

"Yes Matt, if thats what you want to hear then yes I do love your brother and I don't care if you accept it or not because its true."

Before Matt could reply to her statement she heard the door to the bathroom unlock and Jeff come out, his hair disheveled from the night before and his clothes still very much out in the open in the room, just his boxers and a towel to show for it. If there had been any doubt that he had spent the night here before, there certainly wasn't now and with the look in Matt's eyes she knew he knew it too.

They were busted. But before any one else could speak, Jeff did the speaking for them all.

"You might as well know that as much as she loves me, I love her too and nothing you can do will change it. It is what it is."

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	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Note:** Have you ever written yourself into what you believe is a corner and you can't for the life of you seem to find a way out of it? I think I have done this with two of my current fictions and it's been made me almost want to claim writers block until I can sort it out. None the less, I need to do what the song says and get my head in the game so this is what this update it. My attempt at getting back into the game when I'm so overloaded I don't know what end is up. I hope this chapter comes out alright but fair warning it will be shorter then the usual. When you read the chapter you will see why. The reviews I've received are wonderful and I thank each and every one of you for them as well as for the addition of this story as a favorite that some of you have done. Just knowing that for a minute some of you are entertained by this is a real pleasure. Thank you.

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"So you come out of my ex girlfriends bathroom and all you have to say for yourself is 'It Is What It Is'? Jeff I expected so much more from you. This is quite frankly a let down."

_Just what the hell was he talking about?_ Jeff thought to himself as he watched his brother take in the information that he had just confessed. Matt seemed to be focusing on the last part of his statement and not the real truth of the matter which had come out first. He had just admitted to loving Ashley and from the sounds of it, it was like Matt hadn't even heard it. Or at the very least was choosing to pretend he hadn't. Either way it gave him the creeps.

If he was really honest with himself then he would admit that at that moment in time he no longer cared what his brother thought anymore. For years he had been behind the scenes, watching as Matt took charge and went ahead and assumed that what he had wanted was what Jeff had wanted too. But that was never the case and that fact was hitting him more then ever now. He had finally broken free of Matt's shadow. It was time he started being his own man, starting with admitting that he was a flawed person.

Falling for your brothers ex girlfriend was not one of his most shining moments but it was exactly as he had said. It was what it was and there was nothing now that could be done or would be done to change it. He was sick of hiding his feelings to spare other people and it was about time he admitted just how he truly felt. No matter what his brother chose to do. Matt was his own man and was entitled to feel whatever the hell he wanted.

"Look Matt, I am not going to sit here and belabor the point with you. Ashley and I slept together and I love her and as much as that must pain you to hear, it isn't going to change because you throw sarcastic comments at me. It doesn't work that way, not anymore."

Matt smiled but not in the happy way that he had been used to seeing when they were younger. No this smile was sicker, more sadistic as if he knew something that Jeff didn't and was happy about it.

"You love her? Please Jeff! You have no idea what real love is. Remember Beth and the mess you made of that relationship?"

There it was. The horse that broke the camels back. The proverbial elephant in the room. Matt was so upset by what he had walked into that he was now choosing to throw the past in his own brothers face. Sometimes it really made him wonder which of them was really the older one.

"This has nothing to do with Beth and you know it. But for the sake of argument lets say that you're right. I did make a mess of that but I also learned from it. Something that you need to sit back and do because its obvious you haven't done it lately."

_I've gone too far now, there is no turning back._ He thought as he watched the comment roll over Matt, causing him to sit up and take notice.

This wasn't about Jeff sleeping with Ashley or even loving her and they all knew it. It was about Matt wanting to believe that he still loved Ashley when he hadn't really loved her at all. He had used her to ease his own pain with Amy and it was about damn time he took responsibility for it, no matter what way it had to come out.

"That was cheap Jeff and you know it."

"But it's true isn't it? I mean come on Matt, you want to sit there and throw arrows at me for falling in love with a woman you really couldn't care less about but yet when I throw back you immediately tell me what a cheap ass I am. It doesn't work that way."

Ashley chose that moment to speak up then, tired of feeling like the odd woman out in a room full of testosterone. What had been a wonderful night of real lovemaking was now turning into a circus sideshow. She needed to put the brakes on it before they both said too many things that they couldn't take back.

Truthfully though, what Jeff had said had hit home with her and she needed to know just how much truth there was to the whole lot of it. Had she really been nothing more then a cheap lay for the elder Hardy brother or was Jeff just completely mistaken?

"Is it true Matt?"

Matt looked up at her then and the look in his eyes told her everything she wanted to know. Deep down she had known that there was something off about their relationship because of when and how it started but seeing for real that Jeff had been right was enough to make her want to hurl. She really had been a cheap lay for him.

She had never felt like more of an idiot as she did in that moment and the feeling of both brothers watching her was enough to make her want to run. Neither one of them deserved the feelings that she had professed to have at different times for them. They only deserved the misery they wanted to cause each other.

Tearing her eyes away from the two men who looked about ready to go toe to toe in a real battle of wits and sparing, she grabbed her clothing and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door, not allowing either of them to see just how much the truth had hurt her.

All she needed to do now was get the hell of the room and away from both of the Hardy brothers before she became just another notch on their belts. Something she was forever going to be if she didn't.

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	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

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She was dressed, she was ready to walk out of the room and let the two children duke it out. But as much as she wanted to walk away and let the two of them kill each other, she knew she owed at least one of the brothers an explanation.

"I'll fix this alright? I understand why you need to leave, but I promise you, we'll get this worked out."

She wanted to believe him but really in that moment she didn't believe in much of anything. Matt had used her, which hadn't been such a surprise because she had always had the lingering doubt, but hearing him pretty much confirm it had really been on her list of things she had never wanted to hear. Thought and reality were two separate things and when they came together this way someone always got hurt. This time it had been her. So hurt in fact that after the night before with Jeff she was having some serious doubts.

"Whatever Jeff. I'll be in the hotel bar or Maria's room whenever this is over."

Without so much as a kiss goodbye she walked from the room, at the lowest point in her life and her career. She had gotten fired for something stupid and now she wondered if maybe she had been stupid with Jeff the past couple of weeks. What if he was only using her as a substitute too?

Not wanting to think about it any further she made her way down the hall to the elevators. She needed a way to forget and forget fast. Before it took her to a place she didn't want to be. A place she hadn't been since she had been an awkward teen.

"You did that to her Jeff. You don't know when to keep your damn mouth shut. So don't bother looking at me like that anymore."

At that moment he didn't want to look at Matt at all for the way he had been acting since entering this room only mere minutes before. In the span of time he had been here, he hadn't listened to Ashley telling him she didn't want him, he had lied about his feelings for her when they had dated and now he was blowing up over the two of them sleeping together. In fact in that moment all Jeff wanted to do was smack some sense into his older brother because it was obvious he needed it.

"I didn't do anything to her but love her."

Matt laughed and rolled his eyes, causing Jeff's anger to reach an almost imploding level. "You don't know what love is little brother."

"Maybe, maybe not. But I do know that what I feel for her runs deeper then just using her to get back at someone who broke my heart. I genuinely care about her."

"Save it Jeff alright? It's just the two of us here alone now. You only slept with her because you wanted something that you knew that I had. It's just like it was when we were kids."

Jeff raised his eyebrows unsure of where Matt was going with this or even what he was getting at at all. "What are you talking about? What does Ashley have to do with us as kids?"

"You always did like my toys better. Ashley was more then a toy to me but you get the idea. Its the same damn thing and you know it. You wanted to steal something of mine."

Jeff had had enough, there was no talking to Matt when he was on a roll of self destruction like this. Without wasting another second he pushed Matt up against the wall, laying his arm across his neck, watching as his brother realized just how serious Jeff was now taking things. There was nothing funny about the way he was talking about his old girlfriend, someone he had only thought of as a friend until Jeff showed interest and there was no way he was going to get away with any more of it.

He waited a few seconds before releasing his brother from the hold and watched in all seriousness as he caught his breath. "Lay off talking about her like that or I will do something worse next time."

"I don't get you Jeff. There was a time when you wanted nothing to do with any of my friends let alone my girlfriends. They just weren't your type. So what is it about Ashley that gets you? The Playboy thing? The fact that she likes rock music what?"

"She gets me because of her heart, something I don't expect you to understand."

Jeff walked towards the door then and as he went to open it, he came face to face with Maria, a frantic and scared look on her face. He had seen her go through many looks having acted with her on television but this was one look he had never seen before.

Something was seriously wrong.

"What's up Maria?"

"It's Ash--" Maria said, catching her breath but breaking off. Her eyes said a lot more then she could in that moment.

"Whats wrong with Ash? Where is she Maria?" Jeff hollered, grabbing her by the shoulders and trying to shake the words out of her. She had only been here with him moments before, so what could have happened in that time?

"She collapsed on the way downstairs to get some breakfast. I don't know what happened Jeff, she just told me to get you."

Throwing a look back towards the brother who minutes before he had been arguing with and about to punch, he grabbed Maria's hand, dragging her along beside him as he ran from the room and in the direction of where Maria had said it happened.

The paramedics had been called, Maria had told him that much while they had been running but that didn't matter to him anymore. If she had stayed in the room with them instead of getting her heart broken and running this never would have happened. They should have been in bed together still. His world seemed to suddenly be spinning around him at the thought that something serious had happened to Ashley.

All he knew now was that he had to get to her before they took her away. He was never going to leave her side again.

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	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Note:** Considering this story is so close to its end I am shocked I am not updating it more. I apologize for that. It's what happens when you have so many ideas and write so many stories at once that you can't keep up with them all in a day. But at the very least here is your next update.

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"Exhaustion you say? She is exhausted?" Jeff asked again to clarify as he listened to the doctor speak more medical speak in his direction. When he had raced here with Ashley in the ambulance he had feared the worst. That there was something more serious going on that she hadn't told him about but now hearing this, he could calm his heart a little more.

Ashley was going to be alright with a little rest and relaxation.

_Something she would and could have had if she hadn't had to deal with Matt and I fighting over her the way we were. God how stupid can I be?_

"You can go in and see her if you want. She is awake and lucid at the moment. The medication will kick in soon but you will at least have a few minutes with her." The doctor said, pulling him away from his thoughts.

He nodded and said goodbye, heading into the hospital room quickly and quietly. He looked at her for a moment as she lay with her head resting toward the window. Even in the hospital bed with everything hooked up to her she still looked beautiful. It was amazing to him that she could given the circumstance.

"How do you manage it?" he asked, clearing his throat once the words were out, to allow her the chance to see that he was there.

She smiled slightly and patted the bed beside her. "Manage what?"

" How do you manage to be the most beautiful woman in this hospital? In a place where people are supposed to look sick?"

She laughed and he found his heart swelling as she did. He had always liked it when she laughed because she showed her real happiness, something there hadn't been a lot of lately.

"Not sure, it must be this new dude I'm seeing."

Now it was his turn to smile and he did so, as brightly as he could. "Oh you have to tell me about him. Do I know him?"

She shook her head in the affirmative and didn't break the look between them for one second. Not even to blink her eyes open. The drugs she had been given to sleep were now starting to kick in but she wasn't ready to let them work yet. Not before they had a chance to really talk.

"I'm sorry about running off the way I did Jeff. I just couldn't stay and listen to him admit what I guess I knew all along."

Jeff understood more then he cared to admit. If he had been in her shoes, being the ex girlfriend he would have run as well. Hearing that you weren't what you thought you were had to cut to the heart faster then any real wound could. Ashley had loved him, in whatever she could at that time and to hear that Matt hadn't been the same, it was almost too much to bear.

He hadn't wanted to bring it up with Matt the way he had but he knew that if he didn't then he might not get his brother to understand what was going on between him and Ash. He wanted his brother to at least see that what they had between them wasn't a game and that they genuinely cared for one another.

"You did what any sane person would have done. I don't wish hearing what you heard on anyone. I'm sorry I even brought it up with him. I just wanted him to shut up for once and take stock of his own life before attacking ours."

"Did you mean it?"

He looked at her questioning eyes, trying to figure out what she was trying to get an answer too. Had he meant what? He didn't have to wait long before she responded again.

"Did you mean it when you said you really loved me? More then Matt ever did?"

"Yes Ashley. Sitting in that bathroom hiding made me see it more then anything. I love you. I wouldn't have come to you last night if I didn't. I just was trying to make everyone else happy and not myself. I'm sorry I didn't just tell you everything sooner."

She shook her head before speaking again. "Not your fault Jeff. I've been there, trying to make everyone else happy. What I've learned is that you can never please everyone. When you do, its not for that long and it ends up falling apart."

She was right, he knew that. She was smarter then most people gave her credit for and it was another reason he loved her. She was better at different things then he was so they in the end could always find a way to help each other.

He hadn't planned on falling in love again, not after Beth but with the woman lying in the hospital bed right now, he had fallen again and this time he planned on making it for keeps. Matt and anyone who didn't approve be damned.

"I love you Ashley and thats never going to change. I don't care what happens from here on out with my family and friends. I need to start living for myself."

She started to close her eyes again, trying as hard as she could to fight it. She wanted to stay awake if for no other reason then to relive this moment again in her mind. He really did love her and she didn't want to fall asleep and find out it had all been a dream.

Her exhaustion had been caused by not sleeping enough and pushing herself too much and she knew she needed the rest but she didn't want to leave Jeff now, not even if it meant making herself feel better.

"You sleep, I am going to go find Maria and let her know that you're alright and its nothing more serious then you needed to take better care of yourself. She was worried sick when you collapsed. I won't be gone long and I will be back by the time you wake up again, you can hold me to that."

"I can?" she whispered, allowing herself to succumb to the medication finally.

"You can bet on it. I love you Ash and I'm never leaving your side again."

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	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Note:** So I realized that I had written ahead of what I was posting the last time I updated, which is why most of you saw two chapter updates at once. I apologize for not adding them up. I was under the assumption I had and then apparently had not. Sorry for any confusion this caused. I appreciate the time you all took to read the chapters and let me know what you thought though. Its great in terms of writing the actual story because it lets me know you like what I have done and will continue to do :)

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She was astounded by the land, it having been so long since she had been there. The grass was freshly cut and looked after, looking healthier then ever. The back woods looked inviting and she was shocked that she hadn't wanted to come back sooner. At the very least she understood why Matt and Jeff refused to leave Cameron and this land. It was absolutely a person's dream destination. Even if they didn't know it and had to be pushed to come here.

Jeff had insisted of course that when she was released from the hospital that she accompany him home to Cameron. Which was why she was here now and was enjoying it so much. Sure she liked having someone love her so much that they wanted to make sure she was taken care of, but there was more too this. This was something she needed without even knowing it.

"So are you happy that I talked you into this now Ash?" the voice said behind her, facial hair tickling her skin and causing her to shiver.

"Yes Jeff I am. You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?"she asked, turning around to see the smile plastered on his face. He had always looked happy, content even but there was a different look there through the smile now. A smile that spoke volumes to her. A smile that truly meant being home.

Just being around him this way now made her feel like she had come home.

"Actually it was, so I'm glad you admitted it." he said with a laugh and a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm going to get us some lemonade, why don't you make yourself comfortable on the porch and I'll be right back."

She nodded and followed him as far as the old school porch swing that looked awfully lonely on the porch by which is now sat. It looked like it did the last time she had been here, not used very much and in need of repair.

She took a chance and sat down on it, hearing the metal squeal as she did, laughing despite herself. If she was going to stay here for any long amount of time, the first action she was going to take was to make this swing look new again. It deserved that much.

Ashley didn't notice as the shadow of a body came from the side of the house and up the stairs of the porch. She had closed her eyes and was enjoying the sounds of nature around her, wondering to herself if this was what Jeff experienced when he wanted to paint or write music.

When the person cleared their throat her eyes flew open instantly and she came face to face with the visitor who had now interrupted what were her most private thoughts. If she had wanted the day to have less drama she had obviously come to the wrong place.

Drama was now waiting on the porch with her, begging to sit down and make itself known.

"Matt." she stated, trying not to show how much it bothered her that he was here with her now. She looked past him toward the front door and begged Jeff silently to come out before she had to deal with what was about to become a very painful moment.

She hadn't talked to him since the day in the hotel room when she had passed out from the exhaustion of not sleeping or eating and she had been hoping never to see him again. She knew there was no way to avoid it though. Better now then later when she really wasn't in the mood.

"I thought it was you when Jeff pulled up earlier. I don't mean to intrude."

She wanted to roll her eyes and pretend that she didn't care but she did. Hearing that he hadn't cared at all had cut her like a knife. She had never wanted to believe Matt could have acted that way. But he had and that was why they were the way they were now.

"Your brother went to get us some lemonade. If you want to talk to him I'm sure he will be out in a second."

Matt sat down on the creaky swing then, careful not to sit too close to her and cause her any more pain. He looked at her and before she had a chance to speak he put his hands up to silence her.

"I want to say something before you go off on me Ashley. I deserve whatever you want to say to me believe me. I know that. I just think that it's time I did what my brother told me to do and be honest with you. The way I should have been when we were together."

She waited a minute to be sure he was done before answering. "I'm listening."

"Jeff was right about one thing. I got into a relationship too soon with you after Amy and I went through what we did. I still loved her more then I even realized at the time and I should have taken the time to fully let go. I made a mistake there but I did love you. At least in the only way I could at the time. You might have been an Amy replacement to some people but you really weren't to me."

Well would wonders never cease? He was being as candid as he could and as much as she didn't want to hear it now, she appreciated it. It would have been nice to know all of this back when they had gotten together but there was a time when late was better then never. This had to be one of those times.

"Thank you." she said, not sure what other words she could use in that moment. What could be said that hadn't already been?

"I don't need you to thank me Ashley. I want you to at least understand what I was going through back then and now when I found you with my brother. I saw the kiss the first night at the diner and it cut like a knife. I just didn't want to see you get hurt. I held on to something that was not mine to hang onto and I'm sorry."

What did she say now? Did she tell him that it was over and she wanted to put it all behind her? Because that was indeed what she wanted to do, but there was more to it now. If they were going to put this behind them then Matt needed to get over what she had done with Jeff. She loved the younger Hardy brother and there was nothing Matt could do to change it.

"Your apology is accepted Matt, but its not only me that you need to say it too anymore. Your brother was honest with you about how he felt and you treated him like it didn't even matter. That he didn't even matter. If you really are sorry for what happened between us in the past then you need to go and make up with your brother."

Matt stood from the swing then and made his way to the door, but before he could get to it and go inside to speak with Jeff, his brother walked through the door, almost dropping the drinks he held. His face turned red in anger.

"Matt just what the hell are you doing here?"

Before Matt could speak, Ashley did it for him. She knew deep down that Jeff would be as against talking to his brother now as she had been when she realized he was there. She just knew that the time had come for them all to stop acting like children and be there for one another, despite the way things had turned out in their personal lives.

"Jeff; he is here to make amends. I think you should hear him out. For yourself and for me."

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	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Authors Notes:** I said this was going to be ending in this chapter but sue me, I lied. There will be one more chapter after this one. I wanted to make this short one stand alone because I think that given the way the last one ended it had to happen this way. So the best is saved for last, but in this chapter you will see the conflict that has plagued this couple through the entire story finally become resolved. The next chapter will be up tomorrow as its already written. I hope you like this short chapter and I will see you tomorrow for the last one! Much Love all.

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Jeff looked from Ashley to his brother all the while wondering just how long they had been out there this way and just what Matt could have said that would have Ashley asking for Jeff to listen and hear the elder Hardy brother out.

He was always willing to listen to Matt. As much as he hated what had been said and done to the woman who he now admittedly loved, there was a bond between the two of them, as brothers that dictated that Jeff could never truly hate him. Hate things he had done, sure, but not really hate him.

He was willing to hear what Matt had to say.

He watched as Ashley stood and made her way over to him, placing a small kiss on his cheek before heading inside without another word. If there was anything he was thankful for it was that she seemed to understand without having to be told.

She knew that they needed to do this alone and she was giving both Matt and him the space they needed to come to terms with everything that should have been said back in the hotel room that day. Before the fighting had taken hold and changed all of them, and not all for the better.

"So."

He looked at his brother as he said the word, not knowing at that point what to say anymore. It was when Matt spoke again that everything that had happened to them the past few weeks came full circle.

"Why didn't you tell me you loved her when you knew?"

Hadn't he done that? Hadn't he admitted to Matt that day in the hotel room that he loved her. That was indeed the first time he had admitted it to himself. So what could his brother possibly mean when he wondered why it hadn't come sooner?

Before he could speak again, Matt did it for him. The way he always seemed to do whenever they talked as they became older and wiser.

"You knew the night you kissed her outside the diner Jeff. I know you think you didn't but I saw the kiss and even I knew there was more to it then what you claimed there was at the time. All I want to know now is why didn't you trust me enough with your feelings to tell me?"

"The pact." was all Jeff could mutter. But in saying those two words he knew Matt was going to know exactly what he meant and why he hadn't told him sooner.

"I knew there was something I hated about that stupid promise we made to each other all those years ago. The pact is the reason we are sitting on opposite sides of the porch right now and if we don't rid ourselves of it, we will always remain this way. I don't want that and I think deep down you don't either."

_Well he's right about that._ Jeff thought to himself.

"Do you really love her?"

"Yes Matt I do. More then I even thought possible at the time. She's changed me."

That answer seemed to be enough for Matt because he moved closer to his brother and wrapped him tightly into a hug. "Then take care of her the way I couldn't. I said all that I needed to say to her and now I'm saying it to you. Give her what I couldn't."

Not pulling away from the hug Jeff just uttered the words that put an end to the conversation between them. Matt knew that he didn't have to say a lot of words to Jeff because they understood each other more then outsiders could. The final words from him would be enough.

"I will."

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	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** All WWE content is owned by Vince McMahon and is used here purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Jeff Hardy has got a lot more then wrestling on his mind lately, and it all centers around a certain WWE Diva. Will he admit his true feelings in time or will he lose his chance forever.

**Advisory:** This chapter may contain scenes that are offensive to some. Reader Discretion is advised.

**Authors Notes:** Expect responses to go out a few hours after this chapter is posted. I may fail when it comes to responding throughout the story but at the end I never miss a beat. I want to thank each and every person that does read this story here though because I know what a task it is to sit down and stare at a screen sometimes, and I thank you for doing it for me :)The Song is Home by Michael Buble. To those of you that have been reading along you will notice this is a dream sequence brought into real time. I hope you all like where the story has come and the way it ended and remember Much Love to all of you.

* * *

**Another summer day  
Has come and gone away  
In Paris and Rome  
But I wanna go home**

"I wondered when you were going to get here.." Ashley greeted him, her bathrobe covering her entire body from his view as he entered the apartment.

The candles around the room flickered with each movement he made as he made his way in, taking the sight of the woman before him with them. Without so much as an acknowledgment he moved around her and made his way for the sofa.

Was he blind or did he not just see her standing there, waiting for him with the apartment done up for his arrival? Was she missing something?

She followed to where he now sat on the sofa and she punched him on the arm, causing him to finally look up at her with a questioning expression on his rainbow like features.

"OW! What did you do that for?" he demanded, rubbing the spot she had just punched, seemingly for effect more then actual pain.

"You deserved it you big idiot!" She snapped at him. "Do you always ignore an apartment full of roses and candles and a woman dressed in her bathrobe?"

Jeff grinned at her then and before she knew it she was on her back with him straddling her legs from above. Bending down until he was mere breaths away from her face, in a husky voice she had never heard before he spoke.

"No I don't make a habit of it, but then I never had a woman do this much for me before."

Unsure of whether to speak or not with him so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face, she decided that it was now or nothing.

"Did you plan on this Jeffery? Did you ignore me so that I would attack you?"

The grin formed on his lips again and she instantly knew she had been had. He had done what he did because he wanted to get a rise out of her, not the first time he had done it and she should have seen it coming.

"You're evil!"

The grin not moving for a second he got even closer until his lips were right in front of hers. "Yeah I am, but you secretly love it."

**Maybe surrounded by  
A million people I  
Still feel all alone  
I just wanna go home  
Oh, I miss you, you know**

With that as his last words he kissed her then, letting his hands move down her body until they reached the drawstrings of her robe. With what could only be described as magic fingers he had the string undone and her robe open in a matter of seconds without even missing a beat as the kiss deepened with their tongues meeting each other, pushing the desire level within her even deeper.

He felt the material she had been wearing underneath the robe and he immediately broke away from the earth moving kiss. "You really planned this whole thing out didn't you Ash? When did you buy this?" he asked as he flicked the strap of the lingerie, causing it to snap against her body.

"Earlier today when you were out training...so I take it that I made a good choice?" she said grinning back at him, letting him know that two could play the game he was so intent on playing.

"If like means that I think its going to be a wonderful edition to our floor in about two seconds, then yes Ash, I absolutely love it."

He kissed her again, this time his desire seeping through into it, letting her know in no uncertain terms just what he thought of the clothing she had just spent hundreds of dollars on. She arched her body as he ran his hands over her body, slowly taking the robe off and pushing it to the floor as she did.

He worked his hands back up to the straps of the lingerie and he slid each one down slowly, taking his time and admiring the curves and nuances of her body as he did. Sure he had been here with her so many times before but this time was different in that he was really going to admire her body and her mind this time, take it all in its complete form.

He cupped her breast in his hands then and gently licked it slowly with his tongue, taking in the taste of her and also the sounds of intense desire that were now seeping out through her throat in a dry moan.

**And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you  
Each one a line or two  
"I'm fine baby, how are you?"  
Well I would send them but I know that it's just not enough  
My words were cold and flat  
And you deserve more than that**

"Does this feel good?" he whispered huskily as he moved from the one breast over to the one that now lay in wait for him. He watched as her body arched and she nodded her head, words lost in the feeling of what was taking place between them.

Freeing her legs from under his bodily grasp, she wrapped one of them tightly around him, the time for speaking long over. She pushed him closer to her then, closer to the breast that was aching without his touch laid upon it.

He repeated the same action on the other breast, his own body responding to what he was doing as much as Ashley's was under him. He could feel her body tensing in what could only be described as heavenly passion and desire.

It had been a long road to get here, where they were now and he realized with sudden clarity now that they were there, that there would be no turning back. She had his heart, among other bodily appendages and there was no way he was walking away from her again, not for anything in the world.

He gently laid a slow trail of kisses, heat from his mouth matching the heat now rising from her body in anticipation. The trail of kisses ran slow and winding down her body until it reached the place of no return. The place that was his and his alone and most of all the part he would spend the rest of his life laying treasure too.

He gently placed his tongue on the fold of her womanhood, and gently ran it up and down slowly, feeling the wetness beginning even before he had completed the task. She was shivering and succumbing to the feeling and he was finding himself worried that he wouldn't be able to give her what she needed before he lost himself.

Wanting her was not the issue, his body would be the proof to that but all random thoughts of being able to make it through the foreplay were falling by the wayside. He wanted her, more then any other woman before and he knew that if he didn't do something soon he was going to fail her in the most intimate way.

With one hand securely on her thigh, his mouth still firmly but gently in place, sucking and licking her in all the right places, the pinkness of her pussy pulsating with the sheer magnitude of want coursing through her veins, he used his other free hands to push the pants that were holding him back all the way down around his ankles.

He needed her now more then ever, he wanted her most of all but there was no way he was going to go further until she gave him the okay. He wanted to hear from her lips that she wanted this just as badly as he did in the moment.

**Another airplane**

"Now Jeff please, I can't take much more!"

Her voice was hoarse but the pleading nature was not and without a second thought he parted her legs far enough to enter her with minimal pain and as soon as his manhood his the slick wetness that was her pussy; it took everything in him to stop from exploding.

Moving farther inside of her until he could feel the walls of her womanhood tightening all around him, he moved closer until his lips were mere inches from hers, the sweat already starting to form on his brow and a slight trickle dripping down onto hers. The rush of finally allowing himself to be inside of this woman, free of all constriction and pain, was almost too much to contemplate. He just knew he would never get enough of it.

They moved their bodies together, finding an almost instant rhythm that most couples took years to find. To him it really felt as if they were made for each other. From matters of the heart to the matter of the bedroom, nothing was missing. The spark was so large it felt like a mini explosion between the two of them.

**And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life  
It's like I just stepped outside  
When everything was going right  
And I know just why you could not  
Come along with me  
'Cause this was not your dream  
But you always believed in me**

With each movement within her body, the tightness of her pussy rubbing up against the sensitivity of his shaft, he knew it was only a mere matter of seconds before he could no longer contain the pleasure that was about to come.

Before he had a chance to react, an invisible line had been triggered within the woman beneath him now and he saw her shiver as she breathlessly tried to scream his name. While keeping his movements moving at the same pace he just watched as the feeling of orgasm took her over and when he was sure she had reached the pinnacle of pleasure he fell victim to the same trigger.

He grew harder with each movement in and out and with the feeling of her nails digging slightly into his back and then it happened. For the first time since they had been together in that hotel what seemed like months ago, he reached the point of no return. The point he did not want to return from.

As he came inside of her, nothing holding back between them, holding onto her for dear life, passion now gone and replaced with a deep love and commitment he knew there was something more on the horizon. Something he had always known from the first day of watching her all those months ago when he had thought she hadn't known. The feeling now that was so apparent he wanted to scream it from the rooftop.

Jeff Hardy had finally found home.

And I'm surrounded by  
A million people I  
Still feel all alone  
Oh, let me go home  
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home  
I've had my run  
Baby, I'm done  
I gotta go home  
Let me go home  
It will all be all right  
I'll be home tonight  
I'm coming back home

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End file.
